‘In the course of making plutonium for nuclear weapons they dumped about 440 billion gallons of contaminated liquids into the ground.’ Radioactive Waste: A Nuclear Nightmare, Youtube 1.16.55, Endevr 2023
These images shot in June 2002 shocked public opinion. It showed that certain areas of the ocean bottom are covered with radioactive barrels that are ripped open. Where is the nuclear waste they contained? ibid.
In less that 50 years countries using nuclear energy have buried over 100,000 metric tons of waste in various oceans. The British alone have dumped 80% of the total amount. ibid.
The radioactive contamination continues to spread beneath the [underground] tanks. ibid.
A badly maintained tank of nuclear waste exploded in the Urals in 1957 … This nuclear accident was the worst in the world before Chenobyl. But everything was kept secret. ibid.
[Sam Cohen]: I’m not universally loved. To put it mildly. Neutron Bomb, 2022
The most detested weapon on Earth. ibid. Cohen
The neutron bomb is a defensive weapon … ibid. Reagan
One weapon stood out amongst all others in purpose and function, enhancing an invisible yet deadly characteristic of nuclear fusion. This was the neutron bomb. ibid. narrator
The Armor Soldier on the Nuclear Battlefield (Army training video): Have faith in your leaders. They will ensure that you do not get more radiation than is absolutely necessary. ibid.
A bomb that would one day weaponise neutron radiation. ibid. narrator
Mathematical models were based on their neurotic way of thinking. ibid. Cohen
Eisenhower eventually had reservations about the concept of the neutron bomb. ibid. Narrator
Over the next decade 26 nuclear tests would be conducted under Project Plowshare for the development of peaceful nuclear weapons. The neutron bomb continued to be aided by advancements in this technology … Plowshare quietly closed in 1977. ibid.
Sam’s [Cohen] advocacy for his neutron bomb was falling on deaf ears. ibid.
To enable me to cope with the stresses and the nightmares from the atom bombs I witnessed, I have devised ways and means of keeping myself busy. Britain’s Nuclear Bomb Scandal: Our Story, comment, BBC 2024
I’m part of something that should never have happened. ibid.
The longest-running scandal in British history. There is nothing bigger or worse than what’s happened to the nuclear victims. ibid.
You could see the evil in it. It was like looking at the devil. ibid.
Between 1952 and 1963 Britain embarks on a series of nuclear tests in Australia and the South Pacific. The operation involves around 39,000 British and Commonwealth servicemen and scientists. Collectively, the men experience 45 atomic and hydrogen bombs and hundreds of radioactive experiments. ibid. captions
You feel it go through your body. You’re like a light-bulb. ibid. comment
Nobody told us anything. We were just left to get on with life. ibid.
The hydrogen bomb is now as necessary as the atomic bomb was before it. ibid.
They [children] were playing in the sand dunes that day. ibid. Australian indigenous relative of survivor
A 1980 report suggested that up to 50 Aboriginal people died as a direct result of the black mist. Without official records that number cannot be substantiated. ibid. caption
Of the 300 or so men who were on HMS Diana, about half of those who are found to have died since, died from tumours of some sort. ibid. comment
Between 1953 and 1963, 205 men were ordered to fly through mushroom clouds. ibid.
The neglect of safety at Christmas Island was appalling. ibid.
Those at the top were not too worried about the human cost. ibid.
We knew enough to know that this is dangerous. ibid.
The ionising radiation is with you for the rest of your days. ibid.
Very little was shared even with the Australian government. ibid.
Maralinga: Roughly 22 kg of Plutonium-239 was left lying around the site. And that’s easily enough to kill everyone on the planet. ibid.
The question is simple: What killed the babies? ibid.
We have now three or four generations being born with problems. ibid.
It’s like these invisible bullets that keep being fired. ibid.