1998 thermonuclear test was a dud: Santhanam

1998 thermonuclear test was a dud: Santhanam


IANS
First Published : 21 Sep 2009 07:19:16 PM IST
Last Updated : 21 Sep 2009 08:57:42 PM IST

NEW DELHI: Rebutting National Security Advisor M.K. Narayanan's assertions, K. Santhanam, the scientist who was involved in India's nuclear tests in 1998, Monday reiterated that the thermonuclear device exploded by India had not worked according to design expectations and showed photographs of the site that had no crater.

Santhanam, along with physicist Ashok Parthasarthi, had last week written an article in The Hindu newspaper that questioned the official version that India's May 1998 nuclear tests were a success.

The NSA told a television channel in an interview that Santhanam and other scientists had ulterior motives and they were not privy to the classified information to come to that conclusion.

"He is barking up the wrong tree," responded Santhanam at a media interaction at the Indian Women's Press Corps.

He said there were "several inaccuracies in that statement".

The scientist recalled that after the tests when they visited the shaft of the thermonuclear device at Pokhran in Rajasthan, it was found "by and large undamaged".

In contrast, the fission bomb explosion at the time which had a yield of 20-25 kiloton, left behind a large crater, he said.

He noted that there was immediate reservation among some scientists "whether the thermonuclear device had actually worked to design expectations".

A classified technical study report was submitted to the government towards 1998-end.

"Thereafter, a meeting was held in which scientists from DRDO and BARC participated. Despite fairly long discussions the two agencies agreed to disagree," said Santhanam.

The chairman of that meeting had said the matter would be taken to the minister concerned, who would charter the future course, Santhanam recounted.

He was answering a query on why he chose to go public after so many years. "The impression that suddenly the jack-in-the-antique box is up, is not based on facts," he said.

The scientist also released photographs of "ground zero" of the thermonuclear device, which showed that there was no crater after the explosion. There should have been a crater of 72 metres radius if the device had been successful, he said.

"This picture tells a story that we have to do more honest homework in the direction of improving our thermonuclear design," said Santhanam.

Asked if the depth of the shaft made a difference to the crater size, he indicated that while he could not reveal the exact measurements, it was sufficient to create a substantial crater.

Santhanam said that the radio-chemical analysis of the test was classified and had not been shared with the scientists.

Former science advisor to prime minister Indira Gandhi, Ashok Parthasarthi said by questioning the results "the intention was not to denigrate the nuclear weapons programme, but to set the matter right".

"We have to have a credible nuclear weapons deterrent. We have already lost time," said Parthasarthi, who was involved in Pokhran-1 test in 1974.

India tested five nuclear devices in May 1998, including the thermonuclear device.
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Comments

The problem with India, unlike China, US or UK is that neither our politicians nor our bureaucrats can be trusted. They do not think for India and as Indians. Where else in the world can you find a foreign lady making decisions affecting the very existence of such a vast nation? Any way now no use saying all this. It is too late !
By Mathew Philip
9/22/2009 12:56:00 AM

Steroid filled Vajpayee was under the control of the CIA agent Brjesh Misra. Misra in turn was under the control of the Rome plant Sonia as Brajesh's daughter is married to an Italian. So under American pressure Vajpayee, R Chidambaram and Kalam lied about the yields as 55 kt instead of the 12 kt yield. The second stage of the two-stage fusion assembly failed to ignite as planned. As K. Santhanam, was from another department, pointed the discrepancy in his confidential memo. This reminds me of the Pakis lying like hell about the no of blasts as six, where as it was only two. From DAE no one will raise the voice as most of the scientists and engineers are from south, and most of them are yes men. For the Tamilians, DAE is an employment exchange and majority of them are duds.
By n.krishna
9/21/2009 11:18:00 PM

CBI tracked Rs 6.2 crore paid as bribes to defence by Verma. CIA product A.K. Anthony’s position as defense minister is to cover up the involvement of CIA operations in India and to stem investigation linking Sonia to the Scorpion deal kickback. Manmohan is linked to ISI from his days as the RBI governor when he allowed the ISI bank BCCI was allowed to open its branch in India in 1983. Manmohan was was inducted to congress by Indira for his links to ISI. Paki bank BCCI paid Indira and Manmohan. Google BCCI AFFAIR for details. In 1966 Sonia worked for ISI operative Salman Thassir in Londonas both Manmohan and Sonia are old sleepers of ISI CIA. Indira and Sonia were on the payroll of KGB also. Being ISI sleepers Sonia and Manmohan are allowing the 3 crore illegal muslims from Bangladesh and Paki terrorists to destroy India. The very recent incident of S S Paul, a christian at the National Security Council Secretariat, who spied for CIA, using a pen drive has rattled our nation
By n.krishna
9/21/2009 11:06:00 PM

CIA penetrated the IB, the R&AW and the National Security Council Secretariat. The CIA's moles in the NSCS have passed on hundreds of pages of classified information to an American woman CIA officer posted in the US Embassy in Delhi through pen drives. Verma, the spy in the Rs 18,789-crore Scorpene submarine deal, has now been charge sheeted under sections 3 and 9 of the Official Secrets Act. As per the CBI's chargesheet, Verma was "spying on behalf of several multinational firms" and was inciting defence personnel to spy on his behalf. While navy dismissed three officers without a showcause notice or a trial, no action was taken against the civilian recipients like Sonia Gandhi who collected the kickback on the submarine deal. The KGB, had bribed communists, Indira, ministers, 30 MPs,10 newspapers in India. KGB had deposited US $2 billion or Rs 9400 Crores in a Swiss bank in 1985 for Sonia as was reported in the Swiss mag.Schweitzer Illustrierte
By n.krishna
9/21/2009 11:00:00 PM

Muslim Nehru was a traitor who stole the Gandhi surname for his family. India survived the emergency of Indira who converted to Islam to marry a muslim Feroz Khan. Khan was not a Parsee but a muslim whose kabarstan was visited by his christian grandson Rahul Gandhi. Becasuse of Nehru, we have the muslim and christian terrorism.. Nehru’s sexual escapades have resulted in his blackmailing by the missionaries for free hand in North East and it resulted in christian terrorism and christian separatism in India. Nehru gave away Indus water to Pakis and we got just 16% of the water. Nehru lost land to China and Pakistan. He refused the UN security council membership when it was offered to India. He took Kashmir issue to UN and prevented our army to take it back on the orders of his concubine, Lady Moutbatten. Christian missionaries anti India propaganda and education, has resulted in a population with no patriotism.. Christians have planted Sonia Gandhi in Nehru family.
By n.krishna
9/21/2009 10:48:00 PM

Earlier CIA had placed an American spy as English tutor for Sikkim prince who conveniently fell in love with and married the prince later. This was to make Sikkim an independent nation. It was detected by India in time. With the support of Christian Missionaries, terrorist organizations like NLFT and NSCN are spreading terror in parts of North-East India.and their gun point conversions are going on in Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, and Meghalaya. Church and christians with the help of CIA is trying to breakup India. Christians are a fraud and indecent group in our national politics. Look at the 30 christian MPs and the number of christian ministers, Ajit Jogi, A.K.Anthony. Pranab Muckerjee, Oomman Chandy, , Ambika Soni, Oscar Fernandes etc.who is propagating minority policies to dismember India on the instructions of the Italian plant Sonia. PM Manmohan who is from Assam came to RS, is linked to ISI and CIA from 1983 and Sonia is linked to ISI from her London days.
By n.krishna
9/21/2009 10:38:00 PM

Banned Christian terrorist org NSCN has its own government which collects money from the local people. One third of the salaries of the government servants are taken away as Nagaland Tax before disbursement. Most of the banks in Nagaland have closed down because of the huge sums extracted by this outfit. The letterheads and stamps of this unofficial government read 'Nagaland for Christ'. In March 10, 2005 about 30 communal christian MPs from across India met NSCN over dinner at a hotel in New Delhi to offer their support for 'Nagaland for Christ' as per senior NSCN leader V.S. Atem. Never in the history of India had the Christian MPs across India done this criminal act. They came out now in the open because the Italian christian Antonia Maino alias Sonia Gandhi who is ruling India with the help of her dummy Manmohan Singh.
By n.krishna
9/21/2009 10:30:00 PM

From 1979 onwards Assam witnessed the birth of secessionist and separatist groups. Fissiparous tendencies grew in the entire region with the christian funding for conversion activities in NE states. CIA and Paki's ISI always work in close cooperation. Christians have become a serious threat to the integrity of India. Christian terrorists kill more hindus in India than the muslim terrorists. NE is in the grip of christian separatistism and get funds from West and get weapons from church. US president Carter on 20th February 2006 along with the US Senator Barbara Boxer was calling for Nagaland to secede from India. The presence of christian bureaucrats in the GOI cadre posted in NE is also helping the terrorists.
By n.krishna
9/21/2009 10:27:00 PM

US. Ambassador David C Mulford in a letter dated 4-10-2004, to the Chief Ministers of Assam and Nagaland, saying that their FBI will investigate their serial bomb blasts without involving the central govt, and it was a blatant intervention in India's internal affairs by the USA. CM Gogoi initially wanted to take FBI's help. However, sharp reaction across the country against US interference, he backtracked. Mulford's direct offer to Assam Chief Minister was not only an interference by the United States in the internal affairs of India, it also exposed the double standards of the USA vis-a-vis the NE states.
By n.krishna
9/21/2009 10:24:00 PM

US.spies and diplomats visit frequentlty NE states. With the help of the CIA agent Brajesh Mishra a 10-day exercise code-named Yudh Abhyas (War Exercises), involving a platoon of the Infantry Regiment of the U.S. Army and Indian Army, was held at Counter Insurgency and Jungle Warfare School (CIJWS) at Vairangte in Mizoram in March-April 2004. Later, exercises in unconventional operations and mock intelligence, counter-intelligence and psychological warfare in a simulated insurgency and terrorist environment was also taken up. India and the U.S. had their first joint military exercises at CIJWS in May 2002. US. Ambassador Robert Blackwill was the first foreigner to visit the strategic Nathu La in Sikkim along the India-China border on February 1, 2002. Blackwill also visited key military locations in the region, including the Headquarters of the 4 Corps of the Indian Army at Tezpur in Assam and 3 Corps at Dimapur in Nagaland responsible for guarding the border with China and Myanmar.
By n.krishna
9/21/2009 10:22:00 PM

Declassified secret CIA reports had shown that an Indian cabinet minister, and a CIA operative, wrecked India's plan to annihilate Pakistan in 1971. CIA was involved in the case of Iranian Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh incident. CIA was involved in the overthrowing of democratically elected Jacob Arbenz of Guatemala, in 1954. CIA helped “Papa Doc” Duvalier become dictator ofHaiti, in 1959. CIA assassinated Patrice Lumumba in Zaire, in 1961. Overthrown Prince Sihanouk Cambodia, in 1971 was by CIA. CIA overthrown and assassinated Salvador Allende of Chile, in 1973. Through the CIA, the U.S. has been perpetrating its hegemonic control over the world
By n.krishna
9/21/2009 10:20:00 PM

. USA wanted to create new nations out of India in NE. In 1978, a secret circular titled ‘Project Brahmaputra’ was sent by the United States Information Service (USIS) - which was reorganised as the United States International Communication Agency (USICA) - in New Delhi to USIS in Kolkata. The document said: "With the agreement of the State Department, the Special Operations Research Office (SORO) of the George Washington University has asked the U.S. outfits in India for help in conducting sociological research in the eastern states of India, including Sikkim as well as Bhutan. The aim of this research was to create new nations out of India. USIS wanted to mobilise its entire personnel working in the states of West Bengal, Assam and Tripura along with local contract staff from students and educationalists, funded by USA. When this circular became public, it became clear that under the cover of research the US wants to dismember India to create new nations in NE.
By n.krishna
9/21/2009 10:18:00 PM

Manmohan was taken in to Rao’s govt on the orders of CIA as per the book written by a Finance Minister of the West Bengal government. So is the case of Anthony who is a creation of CIA that funded the Kerala Vimochana Samaram through the churches against the first elected communist government. The christian Sunday school boys like Anthonyand Oomman Chandy have become leaders with CIA funding. Later the fake ISRO spy case created by CIA to delay our liquid propulsion engine development catapulled Anthony to the chief ministership of Kerala. Now the Rome planted Sonia had put him as our Defense minister to make USA our main weapons supplier, replacing Russia. Manmohan who is drawing three pensions including that from the world bank is not elected but planted as PM by USA. Traitor Manmohan is a CIA ISI asset like Sonia. Manmohan’s background much more sinister than that of AK Anthony or Sonia..Manmohan now sold our nuke programme to USA.
By n.krishna
9/21/2009 10:07:00 PM

Santhanam should be hanged to death for anti national activities, what ever the merirs / de merits of Pokhran 2, santhanam and co have no business in voicing this in public. This is a private issue and not for the general public and the whole world, as it hugely compromises on national interests. Now the whole world knows that we do not have nuclear capability. If these scientists had been genuine they should have insisted on Pokhran 3. Death sentence to traitors like santhanam will act as an deterrent
By Krishnamachari MS
9/21/2009 9:35:00 PM

Where were you, Mr.Santhanam in 1998 and why did not you speak up then?Probably you were scared of losing a sinecure job? Now that you speak, what are you angling for?
By S.V.Ramanan
9/21/2009 9:21:00 PM

Like Pakis Vajpayee, R Chidambaram and Kalam lied. The yields was about 12 kt and not 55 kt as claimed by Vajpayee, R Chidambaram and Kalam. The second stage of the two-stage fusion assembly failed to ignite as planned. Vajpayee was a traitor. Dr. Subramanian Swamy in Dec 2001filed a Writ Petition in Delhi High Court with copies of the KGB documents sought CBI investigation and HC in May 2002 asked CBI to get from Russia the truth of bribery to Rajiv and Sonia. Minister of State for CBI, Vasundara Raje, had ordered the CBI investigation based on Dr.Swamy’s letter of 3-3-2001. Vajpayee was run by CIA agent BRAJESH MISHRA and cancelled Raje's direction to CBI. Vajpaye changed Indian law to enable Sonia to become an MP and deleted Section 5 of the original Act, of Govt to ensure reciprocity, with an amendment bill
By n Krishna
9/21/2009 8:02:00 PM

Pakis claimed that they conducted six tests to be one up on India’s five tests. But A.Q.Khan says Pakis tested only two devices in its 1998 tit for tat nuclear tests that followed India’s test. Western seismologists recorded only two signals for two and four kilotons bombs. Khan says Paki govt and military asked him to pass blue prints and equipment to China, Iran, North Korea, and Libya. Pakis helped China in enrichment technology in return for bomb blueprints. Pakis put up a centrifuge plant at Hanzhong which is 250km southwest of Xian. The Chinese gave Pakis, drawings of the nuclear weapon, 50kg of enriched uranium, 10 tons of UF6 (natural) and 5 tons of UF6 (3%). UF6 is uranium hexafluoride, the gaseous feedstock for an enrichment plan. Paki's nuclear program was overlooked by the US and Paki nuclear bomb was ready in 1983. A Q Khan said that Sri Lankan Muslims based in Dubai were suppliers of nuclear material and equipments not only to Pakistan but also to Iran and Libya.