Discover
/
Article

Why China helped countries like Pakistan, North Korea build nuclear bombs

JAN 06, 2009
Physics Today
US News and World Report : Former US Air Force Secretary Thomas Reed knows nuclear bombs better than most people. For starters, he designed two of them when he worked at the Livermore National Laboratory as a weapons designer.

His new book The Nuclear Express: A Political History of the Bomb and Its Proliferation , co-written with Danny Stillman, the former director of the technical intelligence division at Los Alamos National Laboratory, rewrites much of the public understanding about how countries with nuclear weapons came to acquire them. All countries that built bombs, including the United States, spied on or were given access to the work of other nuclear powers. In particular, the book is a scathing indictment of the Chinese government, alleging that it intentionally proliferated nuclear technology to risky regimes, particularly Pakistan.

Related Physics Today Article
The Chinese nuclear tests, 1964â1996 by Thomas C. Reed

Related content
/
Article
/
Article
The physicist-philosopher’s work on understanding climate change is also relevant for adaptation measures in health, law, and the economy.
/
Article

Get PT newsletters in your inbox

pt_newsletter_card_blue.png
PT The Week in Physics

A collection of PT's content from the previous week delivered every Monday.

pt_newsletter_card_darkblue.png
PT New Issue Alert

Be notified about the new issue with links to highlights and the full TOC.

pt_newsletter_card_pink.png
PT Webinars & White Papers

The latest webinars, white papers and other informational resources.

By signing up you agree to allow AIP to send you email newsletters. You further agree to our privacy policy and terms of service.