Soldiers deliberately exposed to nuclear tests, says report

[struggle4progress]

Source: Le Parisien via France 24

According to the Tuesday edition of the French daily Parisian, a confidential military report proves that soldiers were deliberately exposed to nuclear tests that France conducted in Algeria in the 1960s.
By FRANCE 24 (with wires) (text)

Soldiers were deliberately exposed to nuclear tests conducted by France in Algeria during the 1960s to “study the physiological and psychological effects of atomic weaponry on humans,” according to a report exposed by the French daily Le Parisian on Tuesday.

The “confidential report”, entitled “The beginnings of the organization and experimentations in the Sahara” were drafted “by one or several military personnel” and “dated 1998” after the tests had ceased, according to Le Parisien.

An excerpt published in the newspaper refers to the “Gerboise verte", code name for the test firings of April 25, 1961. It states that the experiment “should allow for a study of the physiological and psychological effects of atomic weaponry on humans, with the goal obtaining the necessary elements to prepare physically and morally for modern combat.”

Defence Minister Hervé Morin said in an interview with Le Parisien that he had no knowledge of this report, saying that he only become aware of it because of information that came to light during a trial in which victims' families demanded reparations" ...

Read more: http://www.france24.com/en/20100216-soldiers-exposed-nuclear-tests-report-france-algeria-1960s

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France used troops as nuclear "guinea pigs": paper
PARIS
Tue Feb 16, 2010 4:39am EST

PARIS (Reuters) - ... Some veterans who worked on the experiments in Algeria, and subsequent tests on French Polynesian atolls, have said they were ordered to lie down and cover their eyes during the explosions, wearing nothing but shorts and T-shirts.

Le Parisien said that about 300 soldiers participated in the 1961 test, and that patrols were ordered to enter the affected area right after the explosion and head for the point where the device was set off.

"A patrol of cross-country vehicles was ordered to carry out a raid on point zero to study the possibility of attack in a contaminated zone," the newspaper quoted the document as saying.

France ran nuclear tests in French Polynesia between 1966 and 1996. Several veterans have said they were told to sail into affected areas immediately after the blast to examine the impact.

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE61F1QL20100216

[Lasher]

1. So they did it too.

November 1951 nuclear test at Nevada Test Site. Test is shot "Dog" from Operation Buster, with a yield of 21 kilotons. It was the first U.S. nuclear field exercise conducted on land; troops shown are a mere 6 miles from the blast.

http://en.allexperts.com/e/n/ne/nevada_test_site.htm

[madfloridian]

2. Can you say "Desert Bloom"?

http://movies.amctv.com/movie/13335/Desert-Bloom/details

[wtmusic]

3. Love, love, love that film.

Jon Voight at his finest.

[Solly Mack]

4. K&R

[enlightenment]

5. If you haven't seen Atomic Cafe, it is well worth watching.

I show it to my students every term!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOUtZOqgSG8&feature=related

[yava]

7. Enlightenment , thank you for the youtube link

I had heard of this movie but never seen it. I just scanned it. Its a masterpiece and I sent the link to my kids.
Thank you for showing this to your students, its full of humor, history, art, good music, america and also war, the bomb and human hypocrisy

[enlightenment]

9. You're welcome, yava.

My pleasure to share the link - though I recommend buying the dvd just for the film quality (I was also a bit surprised to find the entire film on YouTube - I doubt it is exactly legal to have it up like that).

I teach college history, and always amazed how little student's know about the arms race, the Cold War, and nuclear proliferation. Another film you might find interesting deals with the impact of nuclear testing - it is much more dark; very disturbing, in fact - but very, very good. It's called "Radio Bikini".

Here is the producer's webpage: http://robertstoneproductions.com/film/radio-bikini/

[Socal31]

6. I think there is video of a Chinese test....

where the soldiers run at the mushroom cloud.

[boppers]

8. Several generations later, we have results.

Ionizing radiation idiocy annoys me.

Here's a simple guideline: If you want to avoid it, don't fly in a plane. Ever.

Nuclear weapons crews deal with less.
Uranium miners deal with less.

Our biggest source is the Sun.

edit: typo