In 1989 the DOE acknowledged that Charlton Heston, best known for his roles in The Ten Commandments and Ben Hur, had been granted a Q clearance in 1983 to provide narration for top secret films and videotapes discussing various aspects of the nuclear arsenal. Heston worked on six productions through 1989, including one titled Trust But Verify, about the 1974 Threshold Test Ban Treaty. Heston got the job after Charles Barnett, the head of film and video production at Los Alamos National Laboratory and an old friend of Heston's, in a discussion with a colleague over the poor quality of narration in a recent production, blurted out, "Who in the hell do you want? Charlton Heston?" Although he wasn't serious at first, Barnett felt strongly about the projects he produced and eventually contacted Heston to sound him out on the idea. To his surprise, Heston agreed to help (and declined to be paid for his work).

Asked by the Los Angeles Times about his secret work, Heston responded, "I'm not trying to be dramatically secretive or anything, but I can't get into that. I do work for other agencies from time to time. Most of the stuff that [I] do in this area is not designed for public consumption." The DOD and CIA refused to divulge if either had granted separate clearances for Heston for similar work.1

Notes:

1 Allan Parachini, "For Top Secret Narration, Call Charlton Heston," Los Angeles Times, November 9, 1989, p. F1. [Back]


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