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Greenland confirms nuke went missing under ice in 1968
Copenhagen (AFP) Nov 11, 2008 Greenland confirmed Wednesday a BBC report that claimed the United States abandoned a nuclear weapon under the ice in the Danish protectorate following a plane crash in 1968. Foreign Affairs Minister Per Berthlesen told AFP that Greenland had been aware of the issue for some time. "There is nothing new in this report and we knew for sometime that one of the four nuclear bombs had not been found following a search by the Americans," he said, adding that there had been "no risk" to the environment. Berthlesen said the authorities in Greenland were expecting a response from the US and Danish governments following the BBC documentary. In a statement, Greenland pointed out that the incident had already been investigated by a public inquiry in 1995. The BBC reported Tuesday, based on declassified documents obtained under the US Freedom of Information Act, that the US failed to recover the nuclear weapon despite a number of searches. Built in the early 1950s, Thule Air Base was of great strategic importance to the United States in its Cold War stand-off with the Soviet Union, allowing a radar to scan the skies for missiles coming over the North Pole. But Washington feared the Russians might destroy it as a prelude to a nuclear strike against the United States. As a result the US military deployed nuclear-armed B52 bombers to circle over the base from 1960, so they could head straight to Moscow if it was destroyed, the British broadcaster reported. However, on January 21, 1968, one of these planes crashed into the ice a few miles from the base. The explosives surrounding the four nuclear weapons on board detonated but the active nuclear devices did not, the BBC said. Investigators recovered thousands of pieces of debris from the site, including ice containing radioactive debris, but soon realised that only three of the weapons had been accounted for. An underwater search was launched in April but they found nothing and eventually the investigators gave up. Related Links Learn about nuclear weapons doctrine and defense at SpaceWar.com Learn about missile defense at SpaceWar.com All about missiles at SpaceWar.com Learn about the Superpowers of the 21st Century at SpaceWar.com
Russia will abandon missile plans if US cancels shield
Moscow (AFP) Nov 11, 2008Russia will abandon plans to deploy missiles on the EU's doorstep in Kaliningrad if the US scraps its plans to base part of a missile defence shield in Europe, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Tuesday. |
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