From: John Clark (jonkc@worldnet.att.net)
Date: Thu May 31 2001 - 11:05:08 MDT
Teller raised the possibility then Bethe proved, not that it was impossible but
only extremely unlikely. I've heard the figure of 3 parts in a million too but I can't
remember where. I think you should read "Nuclear Hostages" by Bernard J O'Keefe.
O'Keefe was at almost all of the U.S. bomb tests and has stories that would make your
hair curl. Like the "Bravo" H bomb test, they figured that if everything went perfectly
they might get 5 megatons, instead they got over 15. This thing was so big that observers
50 miles away who were not easily impressed and had witnessed many nuclear blasts
forgot their scientific training and thought for a few seconds that the atmosphere had
been ignited, the fireball just seemed like it would never stop growing. Japanese fisherman
well outside the official danger zone were killed and many native residents on "safe"
islands were made sick. O'Keefe was in the firing bunker on another island about 5 miles
from the blast, the building shock so much people were getting seasick. Even with 4 feet of
solid concrete the radiation was approaching dangerous levels, the firing crew was trapped
for several days in the bunker till the radiation was reduced, then they used bed sheets as
makeshift radiation suits and ran for the rescue helicopter. O'Keefe also admits he was
terrified when he fired a canon and then ran like hell and jumped into a ditch before the
world's first nuclear artillery shell exploded, he thought the test was poorly planed and
the design of the bomb unsafe.
John K Clark jonkc@att.net
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