Documents related to a British nuclear weapons secret test program in the Australian outback were removed from the National Archives without explanation, CNN reported. The bewilderment about what happened was expressed by researchers and historians working with materials to obtain information about the launches, which are still classified.
Britain first tested independently developed nuclear weapons in October 1952 - the third in the world after the United States and the USSR.
At the same time, it remains the only member of the nuclear club that did not conduct tests on its own territory. Australia and the islands in the Pacific Ocean were invariably used as a landfill. The last tests of the British date back to 1991. And in 2015, then-Prime Minister David Cameron announced his readiness to use nuclear weapons if necessary.
According to expert Elizabeth Tynan, the British government traditionally opens access to documents when they are over 30 years old. However, the archival data on nuclear tests remain secret even after the expiration of the limitation period. What is happening is very similar to an attempt to hide information, I am sure the author of the book "Atomic Thunder: The Story of Maralinga."
National Archives of Australia.
“The British atomic tests in Australia have caused enormous damage to Aboriginal people, military and civilian personnel, a large part of the territory,” added Tynan. - This country has every right to know the whole truth about these tests. Alas, the riddles become more difficult to solve after the closing of the archives by the British government."
University College London professor John Agar added that this is not a "couple of records", but two global sets of unique data that were previously open for research. They are simply necessary for any historian of British nuclear projects, said the scientist, who also complained that access to the archives was closed without explanation or at least consultation with experts.
The seizure of documents was first noticed by researchers at the end of December last year. However, access to them remained closed in January.
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As a spokesman for the National Archives explained, the seizure of the test data in Australia was made at the request of the Nuclear Weapons Decommissioning Authority (NDA), which is ultimately responsible for storing the materials. In turn, this organization explained that "the package of documents was temporarily removed from public access for a special check."
"It is not yet clear how long it will take, but many documents will be returned for public use," the NDA said.
Professor Agar has slightly different information: according to his personal correspondence with the NDA, some documents will be transferred to the Nucleus archive in the north of Scotland, which specializes in the UK civil nuclear industry. This archive does not provide online access to its materials. Agar is convinced that the problem could be solved by copying documents, but so far no one has shown the corresponding initiative.
Between 1955 and 1963, Britain conducted 12 major nuclear tests with an approximate yield ranging from 1 to 27 kilotons of TNT in the sparsely populated area of Maralinga in southern Australia. The information was kept secret for several decades. Only in 1984, after a series of scandalous reports in the media, the Royal McCleland Commission was formed: as a result of its work, the colossal damage caused to the indigenous people, as well as the Australian servicemen who worked at the training grounds, became known.
The effects of the explosions caused burning eyes and skin rashes in people. Many experienced nausea and diarrhea.
These claims were dismissed and ridiculed by officials up to the publication of the McCleland report. For example, the Australian government had to pay $ 13.5 million in compensation to the Trarutja tribe.
According to the commission's report, as of 1985, there was still a significant radiation hazard in Maralinga. Elimination of pollution was completed only in 2000, costing the British treasury $ 108 million. And yet, despite the recognition by the authorities of the high risk of testing for Aboriginal health, much information about the testing of nuclear weapons in Australia continues to be kept secret.
Since 1998, the Trident Group has been the only component of the UK's nuclear forces. It consists of four Vanguard-class nuclear-powered submarines based in Faslane, Scotland. Each submarine carries up to 16 Trident II missiles, each of which can carry up to eight warheads. At least one armed submarine is always on alert.