TOOELE COUNTY, UTAH: WHEN FEAR MAKES SENSE

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It took an internal report in 1994 to persuade the Army that its strategy of simply declaring that nothing would go wrong was not working in Tooele. "Many people with whom we spoke concluded that the Army and the government could not be trusted to tell the truth," the report said. "Even its supporters express the belief that the Army lies." So last August the Army awarded a contract worth as much as $30 million to Booz, Allen & Hamilton, a private consulting firm, to help promote incineration in Tooele and other depot sites. A p.r. campaign followed. "We're safely eliminating chemical weapons," proclaims the banner flapping above the Army's storefront office. Inside are flyers describing the chemical-burning process and showing the Pillsbury Doughboy-like inflatable suit worn by incinerator workers. Fewer than two people a day stop by.

--By Mark Thompson