  Radiative strength functions (RSFs) for the 56,57-Fe nuclei below the
separation energy are obtained from the 57-Fe(3-He,alpha gamma)56-Fe and
57-Fe(3-He,3-He' gamma)57-Fe reactions, respectively. An enhancement of more
than a factor of ten over common theoretical models of the soft (E_gamma ~< 2
MeV) RSF for transitions in the quasicontinuum (several MeV above the yrast
line) is observed. Two-step cascade intensities with soft primary transitions
from the 56-Fe(n,2gamma)57-Fe reaction confirm the enhancement.
