As if explanations of the tragic event aren't controversial enough, questions raised by the event's aftermath seem equally if not more controversial.
I think you have very bad idea of the environment and the weather conditions in this place. That's why you don't understand, the many obstacles that were. It's understandable and traditional in this kind of search. Especially when you consider that the investigators were purely urban residents and were poorly adapted to such work in winter conditions in the north of the Urals. This is not exactly the North Pole, but the conditions there are much closer to the North Pole than even the conditions in the northernmost states of the USA.
Of course, I would like everything to be simple and clear from the very beginning, but what is there, that is, there will be no other. It is in such information conditions that one should carefully look into what happened then.
Here are just a few off the top of my head:
• Why wasn't there a more thorough examination of the site where each body was found?
I wrote about it in the preamble. If I can compare it with other similar events (no less mysterious), I can say that it describes everything in sufficient detail, although not quite exhaustively. There is a difference between our desires and our possibilities. And it exists not only with our possibilities...
• Why did the military use a Geiger counter in the initial search?
It's "noise" information. That is, there was a lot of talk about it, but nothing is actually confirmed. None of the search participants (actual participants, not those who heard something unclear where) confirm it. Then it is logical to ask the question: who, besides the search participants themselves, can know this reliably?
• Why did one of the helicopter crews refuse to transport bodies in fear of radiation?
It was not because of fear of radiation... Captain Viktor Potyazhenko, the helicopter commander, refused to do it because, according to sanitary standards, after the corpses are transported without reliable packaging, it will be necessary to do a large and complete sanitary treatment of the helicopter. He was spared his onboard equipment, which had to do it long and thoroughly. In addition, for such transportation, he had to be ordered by his commanders. This order did not exist, so he may not have carried out actions that do not concern him directly.
The next day, having received such an order and the necessary packing, the body was transported from the pass to Ivdel town.
• Why wasn't the tent more thoroughly examined and why was it quickly stored away?
The tent was be examined according to the instructions given by the investigator. It was to be inspected according to all instructions given by the investigator. So if you want something else, it should have been offered to the investigator. Since a time machine has not yet been invented, then it can be considered that it was examined according to the rules then available.
• Why were district attorneys present during the autopsies? Klinov for all nine and Ivanov for the first five. Did they suppress crucial information?
It's also from the field of rumors and conversations. The Klinov prosecutor himself was on the record (like all others except the doctor himself), but he was not there. It's a common practice in such events. I have participated in 20 such searches and it has always been so: the doctor does everything alone (or the two of them - on special instructions), and then the others read and ask him questions (often do not ask anything at all) and sign. Sometimes it happens that because of the rush, someone may not sign if it is not a very important investigation.
So there was nothing to suppress. Everything that was written there. You only need a professional understanding of the text. Many of those who have little understanding of such cases or are trying to find something that is not there and does not happen in reality, or are missing very important details that are very important. Only professionals with extensive experience in specific investigations can understand everything in sufficient detail. But there are practically no such professionals. Events like this are extremely rare, so strong professionals have nowhere to be.
• Why did Moscow take an interest? I think I read somewhere, though I may be mistaken, that even Khrushchev was made aware.
When many people die at once (in peacetime), this is necessarily reported to the first person of the state. It does not depend on its name: President of the USA, or Secretary General of the CPSU. I think that Khrushchev was reported in the order of operative information, but he certainly did not act in any way in this case. He had much more important things to do in the country and in the world.
Perhaps if the U.S. president is reported that 10 people died as a result of a car accident (God forbid, of course, it's just me - hypothetically), he too will not lead the investigation himself, but he will take note that there is such (or similar) problem.
From Moscow, the main prosecutor's office (USSR and RSFSR) was interested in this case, because it concerns them as the main higher structure. And this is usually the case in practice.
• What about the documents from the district prosecutor's office that requested a search be made for the hikers and dated Feb. 6? If forgeries, why? If the date was intentionally changed, why?
It's called "made a big deal out of a fly." A police officer (Captain Chudinov) was wrong about the date of the interrogation when he left on March 04, 1959. Look at the order in which the documents in the criminal case were stapled together. There, this protocol goes exactly in accordance with the course of events. Just between two logically defined events. The sheets are attached to the criminal case as they come in. You have to put it in the right place on purpose, if it's not what it was. Then the question arises: why did it have to be done? The protocol itself does not contain any significant information. It just doesn't make any sense.
According to the existing rules of bureaucracy, the number on the cover of the criminal case is set as it was first. Even if it is a mistake, the bureaucrats will do exactly that, because they were not investigators and do not know any details of events. This was done when the case was submitted to the archive, as it was necessary to do.
You can talk a lot about forgeries, but there is a perfectly logical and mandatory order, which is determined by law.
For preliminary investigation (and this case was started only as a preliminary one), 2 months of time is required. After that, it could be extended for another month with the consent of the chief prosecutor of the region. If no criminal events were found there, it made sense to extend it further, because it was necessary to obtain permission already in Moscow. Since a lot of money had been spent on such an investigation and search, no one expected that more would be given. For what reason should they have given it?
That's why the case was closed strictly by law: February 26 started, April 28 was extended by one month, May 28 was finished. No one was able to make any cuts. Otherwise, someone had problems with mathematics or with understanding the law.
I'm sure forum members can add many more questions to this list.
In order to solve the problem, it is necessary not to ask additional questions that do not make sense, but to give competent answers to those already posed. First of all, there is the main counter-question: what was so significant about this story? What is the purpose of all this conspiracy?
If it is because someone can not simple and real facts to answer the question: what was the first reason, why all that happened later?
That's no reason to attach a spy or similar script to a horror movie. You have a much simpler and more prosaic life than in movies. But in order to get to a simple explanation, it takes a lot and it's difficult to understand the small but important details.
PS. Oh! Now I'm going to get offended by Tim (and that's very fair!). Because I promised him, but they don't allow him to :(), but for him it takes a lot and a lot of detail to write, and I can't do it yet.