In April of 1961, when the Generals' Putsch against De Gaulle began, a nuclear device was present at the CSEM nuclear test site in Algeria. The device was detonated in an effects test on April 25, just as the attempted coup was starting to collapse. For decades, rumors have circulated that the detonation was pushed up to keep the device from falling into the hands of the putschists.
What if the Putschists had gained control of it?
A new paper has just been posted going over the circumstances and the known facts. A few key quotes:
What if Thiry had decided to throw his support to the rebels?
Of course, the bomb is not really suited for use as a weapon as such. At most, it's a bargaining chip and political symbol. When they did test it, it apparently was a fizzle, giving only about a tenth of the anticipated yield, although this was likely due to the weather rather than flaws in the bomb itself.
I don't really know anything about French politics of the time, so I don't know what the likely consequences of this would be; I just ran into it on one of the blogs I read. Thoughts?
What if the Putschists had gained control of it?
A new paper has just been posted going over the circumstances and the known facts. A few key quotes:
According to a key witness, professor Yves Rocard, one of the “fathers” of the French program, Challe called general Jean Thiry, the commander of the [test site], who knew him well... and told him : “Refrain from detonating your little bomb, keep it for us, it will always be useful”.
The CSEM and GOEN personnel were culturally inclined to be faithful to de Gaulle, since their mission was the nuclear program. But Thiry was hesitant about which party to support. His exact mindset is difficult to assess. Some claim that he initially decided to side with the rebels before changing his mind twenty‐four hours later. Others state that he was impressed with Challe’s order but that, in his phone conversation with Chaile, remained deliberately vague and uncommitted about his intentions.
There were doubts about the loyalty of the on-site military units, and some of them “more or less openly advertised their sympathy with the rebellion”. It was rumored on the base that some of them had been relocated to the Sahara because of their sympathy for the cause of “Algérie française”. A total of 424 soldiers had been sent to Reggan for a military exercise to take place during the test. Colonel Celerier, the head of the CSEM, decided to have the armored forces stationed for long duration under the desert sun under the disguise of an exercise.
What if Thiry had decided to throw his support to the rebels?
Of course, the bomb is not really suited for use as a weapon as such. At most, it's a bargaining chip and political symbol. When they did test it, it apparently was a fizzle, giving only about a tenth of the anticipated yield, although this was likely due to the weather rather than flaws in the bomb itself.
I don't really know anything about French politics of the time, so I don't know what the likely consequences of this would be; I just ran into it on one of the blogs I read. Thoughts?
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