Here’re plans and design work for building an atomic bomb.
What do you think about this knowledge being made available?
For anyone who needs to know what to think about it:
The conservative view was that it is okay to make this kind of info public.
The liberal view called on the government to prosecute to “the fullest extent of the law” those who made this info available.
I, obviously and of course, take the conservative view myself, hence the link.
Bonus points for catching errors not already included in the errata, (provided that you don’t violate your security clearance secrecy agreements to do so).
I remember the Progressive case for publishing the article on several fronts, among them being in Madison at the time (and all the public and under the surface issues going on to get the article published), as well as having contacts in the various engineering and journalism fields.
I do recall that the information presented was already easily and readily available from universities across America, including UW-Madison. It was pretty much an open secret on campus of what engineering books and papers freely available in the UW’s Engineering libraries described in more detail how to make nuclear and thermonuclear weapons. This was also a time when the biannual UW Engineering Expo included open tours of at least one of the teaching reactors on campus, including detailed handouts of nuclear fission and nuclear fusion.
If anything, the article consolidated the information into one location and was to be published in a left-wing magazine. Today, we have web sites consolidating related and divergent information sources in the same fashion, along with the same concerns.
Of course, knowledge is one thing; having the skills and resources to effect that knowledge is quite another. The government was blowing smoke, and it was more aimed at hiding its own ignorance from the American People than constructively preventing the knowledge from falling into the wrong hands.
What was not discussed was the number of foreign engineering students learning this information as part of their degrees, being paid for by the respective foreign governments. Upon graduation they would have sufficient knowledge, and skills to jumpstart such nuclear engineering programs in their home countries. The same can be said for biological and chemical weapons, too.
The conservative view? The liberal view? Did you come up with these names for the two intellectual camps all by yourself?
I’d like to call them something different. “Fans of the Rollings Stones” wouldn’t really care if that article was published, because the article was pretty much 4 pages of a description of how a bomb works, rather than a how-to guide on building one, not to mention the 30 pages of self-congratulatory hooey.
“Fans of the Beatles” favor censorship, fascism, and Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band.
As a Fan of the Rolling Stones, I know good music, and can spot useless diagrams that might sell more magazines.
Now THAT’s a typical conservative warning. Too little, too late.
I’m not sure where you got your liberal/conservative divide on publishing bomb plans, but if it’s correct, you can put me down as a conservative-leaning towards Howard Dean. Information just wants to be FREE Man!
For the Bonus, it seems that David Kay has already been there, and done that:
Iraq’s bomb: Blueprints and artifacts The bulletin link doesn’t actually provide the blueprints for Saddam’s A-bomb, but I have seen them somewhere on the web.
So…that would have been the “liberal” and “conservative” views back in November 1979? I’m sorry, but although I know I lived through it, I actually don’t have a clue who the “liberals” and “conservatives” would have been back then. Enlighten us?
I thought the conservative view was that we should do everything in our power to keep those dirty Reds from getting their hands on the bomb and that the liberal view was we should ban them all together?
Different beasts??? In that an atomic (fission) bomb, is the trigger for a hydrogen (fusion) bomb, I’d say that in the case of the latter, they are more than a bit related.
Well thats true , but the original op stated info on how to build an atom bomb, and the first thing i see on clicking , was the H-bomb secret.
And in defending my reponse , while an atom bomb is the trigger for the hydrogen and Neutron bombs, generally they are in the tactical nuke program, making them separate weapons.
