Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists articles from May 1993

Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists archives from May 1993

Reasons of state. (Soviet nuclear bomb program) (Editorial)
May 1, 1993... Yuli Khariton--a pivotal figure in the Soviet Union's nuclear weapons program--has been speaking out lately in an attempt to set the record straight regarding the early years of the program. A speech he and Yuri Smirnov made in January at the...

South Africa comes clean. (nuclear arms program)
May 1, 1993... South African President F. W. de Klerk made headlines on March 24, when he admitted to a joint session of parliament that South Africa had once had a supply of nuclear weapons; six of seven planned devices had been completed. South African...

The base-closure waltz.
May 1, 1993... A desire to protect bases and weapons contracts in their respective districts and states unites almost all members of Congress--Democrats and Republicans, liberals and conservatives, hawks and doves. Their unity was no more evident than in the...

The Clinton military budget.
May 1, 1993... In February, the Clinton administration presented the overall contours--but not the details--of its military budget plans for the next five years. It requested $263.5 billion in new budget authority for fiscal 1994. By fiscal 1995, according...

North Korea drops out. (Nuclear Arms Non-Proliferation Treaty)
May 1, 1993... On March 12, North Korea announced that it was withdrawing from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). Soon afterward, it formally notified the U.N. Security Council of its intention. But a member must notify the Security Council and all...

The desert glows - with propaganda. (aftermath of Persian Gulf War)
May 1, 1993... "You remember at the beginning of the war when they claimed they would use tactical nuclear weapons if needed?" the governor asked. "Concerned and vigilant people in America must ask, where did these bombs go?" I had asked Lt. Gen. Latif...

Remembering Bernie: Bernard Feld, who witnessed the beginning of the nuclear age, became an ardent, indefatigable champion of peace. (includes related editorial by Feld) (Obituary)
May 1, 1993... Bernard Feld, who witnessed the beginning of the nuclear age, became an ardent, indefatigable champion of peace. Those of you who saw the last issue of the Bulletin may have noted that Bernard T. Feld--Bernie, to his friends and...

Soviet scientists speak out; Russian bomb designers answer the KGB's claim that espionage, not science, produced the Soviet bomb. (Soviet nuclear weapons program) (Cover Story)
May 1, 1993... Russian bomb designers answer the KGB's claim that espionage, not science, produced the Soviet bomb. Igor Kurchatov directed the Soviet nuclear weapons program from its inception until his death in 1960. On January 13, the ninetieth...

The Khariton version: only a handful of men knew the full story of the Soviet bomb's creation. (includes related articles on Lavrenti Beria and on science history) (Soviet nuclear weapons program) (Cover Story)
May 1, 1993... Only a handful of men knew the full story of the Soviet bomb's creation. Unlike the United States, the Soviet Union did not keep an historical record of the Soviet atomic project--even of the major events. A regime of strict secrecy meant...

Russian scientists save American secrets. (Soviet nuclear weapons program) (Cover Story)
May 1, 1993... Who would have thought the KGB would want to spill the beans? Many fear that the collapse of the Soviet Union has created new opportunities for would-be nuclear proliferators. The West has voiced concern over potential nuclear blackmail in...

Dividing the glory of the fathers. (Soviet nuclear weapons program) (Cover Story)
May 1, 1993... The door to my office at Izvestia opens part way and a quiet, inconspicuous man enters. I look at him with disbelief: Is he really the man I made arrangements to meet? I was expecting an aging James Bond-type with broad shoulders and a proud...

Beware the data diddlers; without a watchdog authority, the same crowd will continue to play the same games with radiation databases. (includes related articles on the laws of research)
May 1, 1993... Without a watchdog authority, the same crowd will continue to play the same games with radiation databases. Permit me to put the question starkly. Although there is ample evidence that nuclear pollution presents health risks, how can we...

Dismantling the Cold War Economy.
May 1, 1993... The initial euphoria over a possible peace dividend has been replaced by end-of-the-Cold-War economic realities that include political jockeying over the future of weapons systems, a paucity of meaningful conversion efforts, and the suspicion...