The National Security Research Center (NSRC), the Lab's classified library, receives hundreds of research requests each year. The queries come from across the Lab and around the world.
Although the majority of research requests relate to national security, the most common inquiry — one that it gets on a weekly basis — doesn’t require staff to access classified records about weapons testing, treaty verification technologies, or the like, but rather: “Can you tell me what type of work my relative did at the Laboratory?”
It’s a question you, too, may have, and the process to obtain personnel information about a deceased relative is generally straightforward.
Manhattan Project: Employed before 1946
As many as half a million people are estimated to have worked for the Manhattan Project (1939-1945). At the Los Alamos Lab, the technical staff peaked at about 1,700 in 1945, when the town’s population was estimated at about 8,200. So, statistically speaking, if you had a relative who worked for the Manhattan Project, it’s highly likely your relative worked at a different site, such as Oak Ridge in Tennessee or Hanford in Washington State.
Manhattan Project historical resources are available through the Department of Energy Office of Legacy Management.
What to do next
Lab employees: If you need help placing your relative at the Los Alamos Lab, contact the NSRC staff. Due to privacy laws and Lab policy, the NSRC can only confirm that your relative worked at the Lab and, if applicable, provide you with your relative’s Z number.
Employees who only worked at the Lab prior to the spring of 1946 most likely will not have a Z number, which were not issued until April of that year.
Once you’ve worked with the NSRC staff, you’ll need to submit your request to the Human Resources Division for a personnel file. Be sure to let them know you’ve been in touch with the NSRC and give them a Z number if you have one.
IMPORTANT: Privacy laws and related Lab policies are in place to protect the personal information of Lab employees. As such, you need to provide a copy of your relative’s death certificate to HR.
Subcontractors: Was your relative a subcontractor for a construction company, like McKee or Sundt? Although the Lab likely will not have a personnel file, the NSRC may have a record known as a “McKibbin Card,” which documented the arrival of employees from 1943 to approximately 1950. Dorothy McKibbin welcomed new employees at her office on 109 East Palace Street in Santa Fe, which included making a 3- by 5-inch index card for each person.
Although we know the NSRC’s McKibbin Card collection is not entirely complete, it is the single most-comprehensive record of Los Alamos workers from the early days.
Military veterans: During the Manhattan Project era at Los Alamos (1942-1945), a huge percentage of the Lab’s workforce was comprised of soldiers. If your relative served in the military, contact the National Archives and Records Administration to see if they have a personnel file.
Be forewarned: If your relative was in the Army like most soldiers at wartime Los Alamos (including the Women’s Army Corps), it’s highly likely your relative’s record was destroyed in a 1973 fire.
Employed after 1946
Which organization employed your relative? The University of California was the primary contractor for the Lab from 1943 to 2006, and the Lab maintains these personnel records.
If your relative was not a UC employee (i.e., a subcontractor or soldier), there’s little chance the Lab will have significant information.
DOE history resources can provide context.
What to do next
If you need help placing your relative at the Lab or obtaining a Z number, contact the NSRC staff. Due to privacy laws and Lab policy, the NSRC can only confirm that your relative worked at the Lab and, if applicable, provide you with his or her Z number.
Once you’ve worked with the NSRC staff, you’ll need to submit your request to the Human Resources Division for a personnel file. Be sure to let them know you’ve been in touch with the NSRC and give them a Z number if you have one.
IMPORTANT: Privacy laws and related Lab policies are in place to protect the personal information of Lab employees. As such, you need to provide a copy of your relative’s death certificate to HR.
Send your story
Do you have a relative who worked at the Lab? Email nsrc@lanl.gov if you have an interesting family story to share.