Radar operators during the war were frequently worried men. They worked with novel transmitters which sent out powerful beams of little-known ultrashort waves. What effect might these have on human flesh and blood? Some servicemen feared alopecia (loss of hair) or leucopenia (loss of white corpuscles). But most of all they talked about sterility. A few demanded lead pants or jockstraps.
Medical officers reassured the boys. Just to be sure, they ran tests at Wright Field. Last week the results of the tests were made public.
The victims were male guinea pigs. Thirteen were penned...