Britain, Australia and the Bomb: The Nuclear Tests and their Aftermath (International Papers in Political Economy)

In 1947, Britain decided that it must possess nuclear weapons. Unlike the US and the USSR, it did not have the vast empty spaces in which to conduct the tests that would be necessary to develop these weapons. The solution was found in Australia. This book, first published in 1987, tells the story of that unique partnership. This new edition includes fresh evidence about the weapons under development, the effects of the tests on participants, and the recent clean-up of the testing range. This Is The Story Of British Nuclear Testing In Australia During The 1950s. Britain's First Atomic Test Took Place On Australian Soil, And A Further Eleven Explosions And A Number Of Minor Trials Were Made Over The Following Decade. Updated Information In This Edition Includes: New Declassified Material From The National Archives; More On The Nature Of The Weapons Being Tested And The Interrelationship With The H-bomb Tests At Christmas Island; Contemporary Controversies Over The Health Of Test Veterans; And The Clean-up Of The Old Test-range At Maralinga.--from Back Cover. 1 Atomic Policies And Policymakers 1 -- 2 Why Australia? 17 -- 3 Hurricane -- 1952 29 -- 4 Totem -- 1953 49 -- 5 A Pregnant Pause: 1953-56 73 -- 6 Maralinga -- A Permanent Proving Ground 87 -- 7 Mosaic -- 1956 106 -- 8 Buffalo -1956 138 -- 9 'there Must Be Further Trials To Come': Weapons Planning, 1956-57 172 -- 10 Antler And After 189 -- 11 Kittens, Rats And Vixens 215 -- 12 The Maralinga Range After 1963 235 -- 13 Health And Safety And The National Radiological Protection Board Studies 254 -- 14 In Retrospect 268 -- Appendix A Memorandum Of Arrangements Between The United Kingdom And Australian Governments 287 -- Appendix B Memorandum Respecting The Termination Of The Memorandum Of Arrangements Between The United Kingdom And Australian Governments Of 7 March 1956, Concerning The Atomic Weapons Proving Ground-maralinga 291. Lorna Arnold And Mark Smith. Rev. Ed. Of: A Very Special Relationship . 1987. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 314-316) And Index. Britain, Australia and the Bomb tells the story of the unique partnership between the two countries to develop nuclear weapons in the 1940s and 1950s. This new edition includes fresh evidence about the weapons under development, the effects of the tests on participants, and the recent clean-up of the testing range. This is the unique story of British nuclear testing in Australia during the 1950s. Britain's fist atomic test took place on Australian soil, and a further eleven explosions and a number of minor trials were made over the following decade. Updated from the original edition published in 1987, this new edition includes fresh material declassified from the national archives to give a fuller and richer picture of the test programme. New information has been added on the nature of the weapons being tested and the inter-relationship with the H-bomb tests at Christmas Island, together with two entirely new chapters on the contemporary controversies over the health of test veterans and the clean-up of the old test-range at Maralinga Front Matter....Pages i-xiv Atomic Policies and Policymakers....Pages 1-16 Why Australia?....Pages 17-28 Hurricane — 1952....Pages 29-48 Totem — 1953....Pages 49-72 A Pregnant Pause: 1953–56....Pages 73-86 Maralinga — A Permanent Proving Ground....Pages 87-105 Mosaic — 1956....Pages 106-137 Buffalo — 1956....Pages 138-171 ‘There Must be Further Trials to Come’: Weapons Planning, 1956–57....Pages 172-188 Antler and After....Pages 189-214 Kittens, Rats and Vixens....Pages 215-234 The Maralinga Range after 1963....Pages 235-253 Health and Safety and the National Radiological Protection Board Studies....Pages 254-267 In Retrospect....Pages 268-286 Back Matter....Pages 287-322 "This compelling book gives an authoritative and admirably lucid account of British nuclear tests in Australia in the 1950s and provides an invaluable guide to the environmental and health consequences of those tests. It is very good to have it reissued and brought up to date."--David Holloway, Stanford University, USA 'It is written in a very clear and readable style, and is well worth reading for interest alone ... It provides an essential and authoritative reference for anyone seriously interested in the nuclear tests and the subsequent controversies' - Professor Chris Hamer, Journal of Contemporary History