86 lines
4.4 KiB
Plaintext
86 lines
4.4 KiB
Plaintext
Last Updated: 19/9/1995
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Introduction and Charter of the High Energy Weapons Archive
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At the time of the Gulf War, Norman Schwarzkopf remarked:
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"War is a profanity because, let's face it, you've got two opposing sides
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trying to settle their differences by killing as many of each other as
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they can."
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Which brings us to nuclear weapons...
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Since the first test at Alamogordo, our world governments have exploded
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in total over 2000 of these devices at their bombing ranges (Lop Nor,
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Kazhakstan, Nevada, Micronesia). They've done it in the air, on the ground,
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below the ground, and in the water. The tests still go on today.
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The purpose of this archive is to illuminate to the reader the effects
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of these nasty devices, and to warn against their use.
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At this time, although the threat of a nuclear world war has reduced,
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there are other threats to our tentative peace which have emerged.
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These involve regional conflicts, and the activities of terrorist parties
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or nations. They involve issues such as plutonium smuggling, and the sale
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of weapons technology (possibly clandestine) to militaristic nations.
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Continued nuclear testing is also another problem. It reinforces the
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position of the London Club nations, and gives incentive to the rest of
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the world for removing their monopoly. In fact, this was China's
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justification for joining the Club. With Pakistan and North Korea's incipient
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entry, horizontal proliferation is a tangible threat. You can expect nations
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involved in regional conflicts to back their threats up with a nuclear fist if
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they have one. If you have a weapon and your survival is threatened, there is a
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strong chance you will use it in defense, no matter the consequences. This was
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the U.S. Government's justification for the A-bombing of Japan. It saved the
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lives of their soldiers. Little mention was made of Japanese
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civilians (collateral damage).
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The decision to bomb Japan was made in secret. This led directly to the arms
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race we are currently involved in. Russia felt threatened, and embarked on
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its own bomb program, eventually producing one in 1949. In turn, the Americans
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felt threatened, and embarked on the thermonuclear program. This culminated in
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the pivotal Mike test of 1952. Nuclear blackmail during the Korean War led
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China to make a bomb. Public disclosure and discussion before Hiroshima would
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have helped avoid the situation we are in today. Hence the need for an informed
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and vigilant worldwide public.
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My aim in setting up this archive is to shine a light on the shadowy world of
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high energy weapons, particularly the thermonuclear kind. You will find here
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brief notes describing the conceptual basis of nuclear weapons, the
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experiences of Hiroshima and Nagasaki survivors, and graphics of nuclear
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explosions. The conceptual notes are based on public domain references,
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and do not contain technical specifications to weapon design. In other words,
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there is no quantitative information. The notes are there to show where the
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product particles of nuclear weapons come from, and how they can cause damage.
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These include neutrons, X-rays, and the highly radioactive fission fragments
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such as strontium-90 and cesium-137. A basic grasp of what goes on inside
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a weapon is helpful in understanding issues like plutonium smuggling, and
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the problems of a monitoring nuclear test ban.
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I set up this archive because I saw the need for a collation of nuclear
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material on the net. To make informed decisions one needs correct and relevant
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knowledge. Equipped with these brief notes, and other material found in
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the References, you can be more informed on the proliferation issue.
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Please note that some of the material in the archive is pure assumption. To
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support or deny some of the statements requires an extensive weapons testing
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program. Please use the material as a guide only, and always check the factual
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base of the material, no matter where it comes from.
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Note on this Archive's History
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The HEW Archive was at Melbourne University, Australia for a year, until
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it was closed down by enforcement of university regulations concerning
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use of computing facilities. On its impending closure, however, Xgateway
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Finland Ltd offered it a new home in Espoo, Finland, just outside Helsinki.
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Note on the Archive Maintainer
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Gary Au was born in 1971, Hong Kong, and is a naturalised Australian
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citizen. He holds a BSc(Hons) in theoretical physics from Melbourne
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University, Australia. He is currently submitting a PhD on theoretical
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particle physics at the same institution.
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