The British Nuclear Death Toll

I was going to write this post as a combination of fact and fiction, but then decided that it wouldn't do this justice. The following is taken from an account of Operation Grapple by a Christopher Noone, an RAF serviceman posted to Christmas Island in the late 1950s.

Operation Grapple

I was posted three times to Christmas Island during the nuclear tests between 1957 and 1959, each for the duration of three months. I was present for one Hydrogen Bomb test that I believe to have been Grapple ‘Y’. I was one of the ground crew servicing the Shackletons of 206 Squadron. We had two tasks. Weather recognisance and keeping shipping clear from the ‘Test’ zone.

On the day of test, the only alteration to standing orders we received was to wear long trousers instead of shorts, long sleeve shirts with sleeves rolled down and collar pulled up behind neck. Also a floppy forage hat as there was ‘slight chance’ of sunburn from ‘H bomb’ radiation. There were three countdowns at time of test. The first to ‘release’ of bomb, the second countdown was to ‘explosion’.

There were several hundred personnel in the same clearing as myself. Progress was relayed to us over Tannoy speakers in the trees. Instructions were – to sit in the clearing with backs to palm trees and direction of explosion, close eyes, cover eyes with hands, then bury head in knees. The third countdown was after the explosion to the time we must uncover eyes, stand and race away from palms.

We had been assured this was a ‘clean’ test. It was explained a clean test was where the superheated core of the explosion did not ‘suck’ enough ground debris/water vapour for the rising column to meet the upper section in a mushroom shape, so causing contamination and radioactive fall out.

Several people in the centre of the clearing wore white suites and hoods with special goggles. When asked why, we were informed because this group had to watch the bomb explosion directly.

I think we all felt fear and uncertainty of the unknown as we covered our eyes.

At moment of test – despite eyes closed, hands over eyes and knees jammed against hands, the inside of the head became intensely white, heat building inside the body to an almost unbearable temperature appearing to radiate from inside. This along with a high pitched ‘fizzing’ sound. For seconds it was that way, then the light started to diminish along with the heat, leaving an impression of finger and knee bones like an x-ray inside the head.

The third countdown had already started. At thirty seconds, we stood and raced away, standing in the clearing to turn and look. It was as though the gates of hell had opened up, a curling mass of white and red-hot superheated cloud twisting and curling inside and out, covering a good percentage of the sky. It was still glowing red with heat up to half an hour later. I remember that we looked at each other blankly as though shocked at what we saw, having to crane the neck back to see the top of the object before us. Below the cloud that was constantly curling inward, the stem of ‘litter’ sucked from the ground was rising fast to form the mushroom we had been assured would not be. By the words of our own instructions, it was a ‘dirty’ bomb. Startled seagulls, terns and other birds circled in panic.

A corporal beside me was using a stopwatch. I think in our stunned state, most of us had forgotten what was to come. The trees lashed over almost touching the ground, then whipped back, I was thrown back then sucked forward as a double explosion deafened me. Several people unable to maintain balance were thrown to the ground as the shockwave struck. The corporal informed us that – by his watch, he judged the blast had traveled 32 miles. From previous talks, we all knew that was too close and the bomb bigger than we had been informed it would be. We found later, we should have been fifty miles from the blast for the size that it was.

Meanwhile, back in England, peace activists were getting ready to enter the 'danger area' to protest against the tests. The following is taken from Time magazine, dated May 20th, 1957:

Harold Steele, a retired poultry farmer of 63 who lives in the lovely Malvern Hills of western England, last week kissed his wife and three children goodbye and set off, full of zealot's fire, ready to risk his life.

His plan: to get aboard the "peace fleet" that the Japan Council Against Atomic and Hydrogen Bombs proposes to send into the danger area when Britain explodes its first hydrogen bomb at Christmas Island this summer. "I willingly sacrifice myself to prove to the world the horror of this devilish thing," he declared to reporters. Warned that the peace fleet may not sail for lack of funds, Steele replied: "Then I will sail alone into the Christmas Island area. Or perhaps I could get some vessel to drop me on an atoll in the area, where I could sit out the tests and if necessary die in them." Said his wife: "I feel the same as a soldier's wife when the soldier goes away. It has got to be done."

Doubt for Posterity? Last week the British government was belabored by increasingly shrill protests against its bomb tests. Twenty-three women dressed in mourning "for the thousands of people already affected by H-bomb explosions and for the thousands that will be in the future," called at 10 Downing Street to hand a protest to Prime Minister Macmillan, then trudged off to the House of Commons to buttonhole members. In the House of Lords, Laborite peers cited the estimate of Nobel Prize Chemist Linus Pauling of California's Institute of Technology that 1 ,000 people would die of leukemia as a result of the fallout of the Christmas Island explosion. Earl Attlee, Labor's former Prime Minister now in the House of Lords, said, "Some scientists think we are going to poison the upper atmosphere and destroy future generations, and some do not. I would like to give the benefit of doubt to posterity. I do not think it is so urgent that we should have the bomb in the next few months."

In answer, crusty Viscount Cherwell, famed physicist and Churchill's chief scientific adviser during World War II, scathingly denounced the protesters as "hysterical people." Said Cherwell: "This sort of thing has become particularly obnoxious since universally respected figures such as the Pope and Dr. Schweitzer have been persuaded to intervene. How they can allow themselves to be taken in by the inaccurate propaganda of the friends of Russia is hard to understand." The facts are, said Cherwell, that "the number of gamma rays we get from the radioactive materials in the walls of our houses is 50 times greater than the amount to which we are exposed by the nuclear tests. If the protagonists of stopping the tests had any logic in their being, they ought to tell us all to go and live in tents."

Experts estimated that there would be very little impact on the health of servicemen that witnessed these tests. The reality has proven to be very different. The following is taken from the British Nuclear Test Veterans Association website:

Between 1952 and 1967 the United Kingdom carried out a number of atmospheric tests of nuclear weapons in the Pacific Ocean and at Maralinga, Australia, involving over 20,000 servicemen. Among these tests were the “Grapple Y” and “Grapple Z” series of six detonations at Christmas Island in the Pacific Ocean (November 1957–September 1958), of weapons many times more powerful than those discharged at Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

*Of 2,500 men surveyed in 1999 30% of the men had died, mostly in their fifties.

*In their grandchildren spina bifida rates are more than 5 times the usual rate for live births in the UK.

*More than 200 skeletal abnormalities were reported.

*More than 100 veterans children reported reproductive difficulties.

In actual fact, the latest figures suggest that of the original 22,000 who witnessed the tests, only 3,000 survive, most with serious medical conditions believed to be related to the tests. However, up until now, the government has been reluctant to acknowledge the effects the tests had on those who were there. Servicemen have been lobbying the government to recognise the suffering that these tests have caused and a slight ray of light may be on the horizon, albeit under unfortunate circumstances.

It emerged at the end of December that a close relative of Gordon Brown died from cancer, allegedly due to the radiation from the explosions near Christmas Island. Typically, the MOD has denied that he was even in the area at the time of the explosions. The Mirror picks up the story:

The Ministry of Defence told his inquest there was "no proof" he had been anywhere near the blast and the coroner returned an open verdict.

But now, after Sqdn Ldr Pooley's report was declassified and passed to the Sunday Mirror, there may be demands for a fresh inquest on the grounds that the Government knew he had been irradiated and lied to the court.

The coroner said the tests had "a Heath Robinson flavour" and even swore in as a witness an MoD civil servant sent to observe the hearing, who claimed Sqdn Ldr Pooley was too far away from the explosions to experience any ill-effects.

Unable to say definitively what had caused his death, the coroner recorded an open verdict.

But the family have since discovered a copy of Sqdn Ldr Pooley's report, headed: "Top Secret - Atomic - UK Eyes Only."

It describes in detail how he escorted 12 barrels of nuclear material from RAF Aldermaston to Christmas Island in May 1957.

His job was to oversee the safe delivery of the material used to make a 720-kiloton bomb, known as Orange Herald, then the largest of its kind.

Scientists were trying to build a bomb for use as the warhead in a ballistic missile.

Sqdn Ldr Pooley was also ordered into a Canberra bomber which flew through the nuclear cloud and helped collect samples after the explosion.

He wrote: "The most striking feature of the sampling procedure was the remarkably penetrating quality of the radioactivity. In fact the sampling tent was soon so active the samples had to be taken outside for radiation counts.

"After four showers and a haircut I was still above the permissible level of activity which did not fall to normal until the following day."

It is time that the British government fulfilled its obligations regarding these servicemen. They were treated as guinea pigs by their country and they have all but been ignored by their government, not to mention the mainstream media who seem to be entirely disinterested in their plight. It is time that the effects of these tests were finally acknowledged and all of those that have suffered as a result of our government's casual attitude towards the welfare of its citizens, be properly compensated. It is the very least they deserve.

Iran Halted Nuclear Weapons Programme in 2003 According to US Intelligence

Here is a piece of news that might be worth bookmarking should the Cheney backed propaganda campaign go into overdrive:

Iran halted its nuclear weapons programme in 2003, intelligence agencies said today, in an unexpected finding that boosts hopes of a diplomatic solution to the problem.

A new national intelligence estimate on Iran concluded, in contrast to two years ago, that Tehran had halted its nuclear weapons programme in 2003, prompting a conciliatory message from the White House.

"The estimate offers grounds for hope that the problem can be solved diplomatically, without the use of force, as the administration has been trying to do," said Stephen Hadley, the national security adviser.

"Tehran's decision to halt its nuclear weapons programme suggests it is less determined to develop nuclear weapons than we have been judging since 2005," stated the unclassified summary of the secret report.

So, Iran aren't trying to develop a nuclear bomb at the moment. Israel isn't about to be wiped off the map by Iran (not that anyone has actually said this - well, apart from the MSM anyway). The world is not about to be threatened by some supposed mad man in Iran. In short, nothing to worry about. Unless you're Dick Cheney of course. Then you are going to be spending a little bit more time than usual on trying to prove that bombing another country back into the stone age is really in our best interests. Although with Fox News in your corner, you're probably not going to need to work that much harder.

Still A Chance To Avoid War in Iran

The chances are probably quite slim given the blood thirsty nature of the US/UK axis, however, there are some encouraging signs:

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is to discuss with Arab nations a plan to enrich uranium outside the region in a neutral country such as Switzerland.

He made the announcement in an interview for Dow Jones Newswires in Saudi Arabia where he is attending a petroleum exporters' summit.

Gulf Arab states recently proposed setting up a consortium to provide nuclear fuel to Iran and others.

The scheme could allay fears Iran is enriching uranium for a nuclear bomb.

Iran has insisted that its right to pursue a civilian nuclear programme is not up for negotiation.

No doubt this will be spun as the Iranians playing for time while they continue to develop a nuclear capability. But these attempts must be taken seriously if those in power claim that war is a last resort. Of course, they do not so it is unlikely that this will be the case.

Israeli Strike on Syria Aimed at 'Nuclear Reactor'

Slowly, but surely, little details are dripping out about the Israeli airstrike in Syria. The Guardian reports:

The target of an Israeli air strike on Syria last month was a suspected nuclear reactor in the early stages of construction which was attacked after intensive consultation with Washington, it was reported yesterday.

The New York Times said US and Israeli intelligence analysts had agreed that the reactor appeared to be built on a North Korean model, though it was unclear how much assistance the North Koreans were alleged to have provided.

It is not clear whether the Bush administration gave a green light to the attack. The US secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice, and the secretary of defence, Robert Gates, are both reported to have voiced concerns about the impact of a pre-emptive threat against a site that was many years from completion and therefore not an urgent threat.

Yet another pre-emptive strike with no legal basis. The site was clearly no immediate threat, so why did the US and Israel feel the need to launch an attack at this stage, particularly with the upcoming conference regarding the Middle East. The fundamental reason appears to be a re-assertion of dominance in the region in the face of an increasingly confident Iranian state. A confident Iranian state, needless to say, that we have empowered with Western foreign policy over the past four years.

US and Israel Accuse Syria of Developing Nuclear Weapons

Another twist in the saga of the Israeli air strike in Syria. According to The Sunday Times:

Israeli commandos seized nuclear material of North Korean origin during a daring raid on a secret military site in Syria before Israel bombed it this month, according to informed sources in Washington and Jerusalem.

The attack was launched with American approval on September 6 after Washington was shown evidence the material was nuclear related, the well-placed sources say.

They confirmed that samples taken from Syria for testing had been identified as North Korean. This raised fears that Syria might have joined North Korea and Iran in seeking to acquire nuclear weapons.

How utterly convenient that yet another member of the 'axis of evil' is attempting to develop a nuclear arsenal. It matters not that diplomats close to the IAEA have no such suspicions of Syrian weapons development, the rhetoric involving the axis of evil is sure to be ramped up. How long will it be before threats are being made against Syria as well as Iran? Perhaps the US sees Syria as the weak partner in the apparent Middle East conspiracy. Knock out Syria and you damage Hezbollah and Iran becomes isolated in the region. Whatever the rationale behind this rhetoric, you can be certain that the pressure will rise over the coming days and weeks. And don't be surprised if talk of Iranian influence is ramped up.

America Supported Israeli Raid in Syria

The Syrian incident continues to play out day by day. After Netanyahu's recent admission that Israel did indeed admit that the Israeli airforce were involved in a raid on Syria, it has now emerged that the US did in fact play a key role in the events of two weeks ago. The Guardian website reports:

Israel's decision to launch an air strike against a suspected nuclear site in Syria allegedly set up with the help of North Korea came after Israel shared intelligence with the US, it was reported today.

The attack on September 6 has been shrouded in mystery, although the Israeli opposition leader, Binyamin Netanyahu, yesterday confirmed in a TV interview that such an attack did take place. His admission came despite a news blackout over the incident.

The Washington Post today shed more light on the raid, which has sparked widespread speculation that it was a dry run for a possible attack on Iran's nuclear facilities.

The paper said the Bush administration was initially circumspect about Israel's claim that North Korea was helping Syria, and decided against an immediate response because of negotiations aimed at persuading Pyongyang to ditch its nuclear programme.

However, the US is believed to have provided Israel with some corroboration of the original intelligence before Israel went ahead with the raid, the Post said.

What once appeared to be a case of Israeli jets straying into Syrian territory, has now emerged to be a targeted strike on Syria. Issam Makhoul , a former member of the Knesset, has written an interesting piece on this incident at ynet:

The real question isn't about the details of the provocative attack staged by Israeli jets in Syria about two weeks ago, according to foreign sources. The question is this: Into what kind of mess is the Olmert-Barak government leading Israelis and regional nations this time? The heavy veil of ambiguity on the part of the government makes matters worse, by hiding the adventure from the Israeli public of all people.

There is agreement among Israel's defense, political and media establishments that Syria has no interest in initiating a military confrontation with Israel. In fact, in recent months Syria reiterated its call for negotiations aimed at ending the occupation of the Golan Heights in peaceful ways. These proposals disrupted America's regional war plans, which see the Olmert-Barak government playing a major role.

No doubt more details will emerge over time.

It has also emerged that Iran and Israel have been attacking each other at a meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna. According to Haaretz:

Israel accused Iran of lying, while Tehran challenged the international community to send inspectors to probe of its arch-rival's nuclear capabilities, in an unusually bitter and rare direct confrontation on Friday.

United Nations officials at a 148-nation meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna said they had no memory of the two rival nations ever engaging each other directly at previous meetings, and noted that development - and the unusually harsh tone of their statements - in part reflected Middle East tensions.

The exchange came after chief Iranian delegate Ali Asghar Soltanieh - like Arab delegates before him - said that Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert had acknowledged earlier this year that his country possessed nuclear weapons - something that Israel says Olmert never did.

What are the chances of the UN ever being able to inspect Israel's nuclear capability when it has such a close relationship with one of the veto holders? Just another example of the double standard at the heart of the current international climate.

Attack on Syria A 'Dry Run' For Assault on Iran?

That's the question in today's Observer. Despite Israel's refusal to comment on the incursion last week, Peter Beaumont claims that this was a 'major' incursion. According to Beaumont:

Far from being a minor incursion, the Israeli overflight of Syrian airspace through its ally, Turkey, was a far more major affair involving as many as eight aircraft, including Israel's most ultra-modern F-15s and F-16s equipped with Maverick missiles and 500lb bombs. Flying among the Israeli fighters at great height, The Observer can reveal, was an ELINT - an electronic intelligence gathering aircraft.

Beaumont also claims that the action by the Israeli air force was part of an attempt to address neo-conservative foreign policy concerns. Unsurprisingly, certified evil bastard, John Bolton, has been one of the key men pushing the propaganda for this raid. From the same article:

According to an intelligence expert quoted in the Washington Post who spoke to aircrew involved in the raid, the target of the attack, revealed only to the pilots while they were in the air, was a northern Syrian facility that was labelled as an agricultural research centre on the Euphrates river, close to the Turkish border.

According to this version of events, a North Korean ship, officially carrying a cargo of cement, docked three days before the raid in the Syrian port of Tartus. That ship was also alleged to be carrying nuclear equipment.

It is an angle that has been pushed hardest by the neoconservative hawk and former US ambassador to the United Nations, John Bolton. But others have entered the fray, among them the US Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, who, without mentioning Syria by name, suggested to Fox television that the raid was linked to stopping unconventional weapons proliferation.

As time goes on, this story is becoming more and more interesting. It would appear that this was part of a concerted strategy between the White House and Tel Aviv to flex a few muscles and send a warning to Syria (in terms of its activities in Lebanon) as well as Iran. It seems fairly obvious that at some point in the not too distant future, the Israeli airforce will conduct some military operation in Iran. After all, Cheney is already trying to drum up support for military intervention, any claims that this issue will be dealt through official channels (UN/IAEA) is nothing more than fantasy. Military action is clearly the preferred option for the US and her key franchise state in the region. The question is, how do we stop this folly.

What Exactly Were Israeli Fighters Doing in Syria?

The plot thickens. From the New York Times:

WASHINGTON, Sept. 11 — After days of silence from the Israeli government, American officials confirmed Tuesday that Israeli warplanes launched airstrikes inside Syria last week, the first such attack since 2003.

A Defense Department official said Israeli jets had struck at least one target in northeastern Syria last Thursday, but the official said it was still unclear exactly what the jets hit and the extent of the bombing damage.

Syria has lodged a protest at the United Nations in response to the airstrike, accusing Israel of “flagrant violation” of its airspace. But Israel’s government has repeatedly declined to comment on the matter.

Officials in Washington said that the most likely targets of the raid were weapons caches that Israel’s government believes Iran has been sending the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah through Syria. Iran and Syria are Hezbollah’s primary benefactors, and American intelligence officials say a steady flow of munitions from Iran runs through Syria and into Lebanon.

One Bush administration official said Israel had recently carried out reconnaissance flights over Syria, taking pictures of possible nuclear installations that Israeli officials believed might have been supplied with material from North Korea. The administration official said Israeli officials believed that North Korea might be unloading some of its nuclear material on Syria.

“The Israelis think North Korea is selling to Iran and Syria what little they have left,” the official said. He said it was unclear whether the Israeli strike had produced any evidence that might validate that belief.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were discussing a military action by another government.

So they were involved in a military operation after all. And apparently it is all linked to the proliferation of nuclear weapons. Clearly, once more, the Israeli government is bending to the will of the US government. Until Israel gives up its aggressive actions against its neighbours, it will continue to be the centre of the region's grievances.