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THE history of the nuclear age is at once fascinating and repulsive. It is an exciting tale of invention, discovery and awesome achievement. But it also tells of weapons that can destroy all life on earth. Its fascination has been enhanced by the secrecy and mystery in which it has been shrouded ever since the splitting of the atom. In July 1945 its awesome force burst upon the human stage so suddenly and with such power that only man’s primordial discovery of fire remotely equalled it. Even after 70 years we are still bewildered and fearful that our tinkering with the cosmic laws of the universe and the very building blocks of life will bring unimaginable consequences. In spite of the huge advances in science and medicine we are still as ignorant today of the effects on the human body of low-level radiation as we were at the dawn of the atomic age. Which is why fissionline is so important. We are the only publication dedicated to chronicling the nuclear age and recounting the human stories behind them. If you want to join us, email:-

4. Academic calls Police over ‘hate crime’ forgery. 6. Prof believes ‘dark forces’ out to get him. 10. The Fall Guy. Nuke Vet boss hits out. 16. Trump’s plan to nuke hurricanes has basis in fact. 20. OJ Simpson ruined nuke vet campaign 22. Russia’s Peasant Bomb 2

FISSIONLINE DIRECTORS Ken McGinley

Derek Chappell Barbara Penney

Dr Ian Gibson

Albert Isaksen

Robert Wells

Gerry Rice

WITH a general election looming Labour’s Shadow Foreign Secretary Emily Thornberry has promised £50,000 for each surviving nuclear veteran. Great stuff! But a word of caution: Neil Kinnock, former Labour Leader back in the 80s, was also voluble in his support for Britain’s nuclear veterans, and constantly tub-thumped on their behalf. On being asked by the BNTVA to commit to helping the veterans, he solemnly pledged: “I can unhesitatingly give the commitment that the next Labour government, as a matter of urgency and priority, will set up a full judicial inquiry.” When Labour finally achieved power under Tony Blair they did precisely nothing. Nothing says more about the veniality of politicians, especially around election time, than that. 3

Becky AlexisMartin is a Lecturer in Political and Cultural Geography. She has expertise in existential threats and specialist interests in the long-term effects of nuclear warfare, irregular warfare and nuclear culture. She has published academically, and is a contributor on nuclear affairs to the Guardian, the Independent and the Conversation.

UTHOR and respected academic Becky Alexis-Martin was horrified when she opened what she thought was on-line newspaper fissionline. Spread across two pages were several pictures of herself which had been plundered from her Facebook account, together with ‘appalling’ slurs questioning her honesty and professional integrity. Becky Immediately contacted fissionline to protest . She said: “I just couldn’t believe what the newspaper was saying. The so-called article, which was published without my permission or consent, was completely false and made the most serious allegations against my professional integrity. I have always respected fissionline and I just could not understand why it was doing this to me. The answer soon came however, when she was told the professionally-produced 12-page ‘newspaper’ was an elaborate forgery and had nothing whatever to do with the real fissionline which is

read by thousands worldwide. Fissionline editor Alan Rimmer said: “Someone has gone to a lot of trouble to produce this fake fissionline. It’s completely false and has upset a lot of nuclear veterans who rely on fissionline for their news. It should be condemned in the strongest possible terms.” Becky, who has supported nuclear veterans added: “I was relieved the real fissionline wasn’t responsible, but I was so angry and upset that I have reported the matter to Greater Manchester Police. I believe the content constitutes a hate crime and I want the perpetrators brought to account.” Alan Owen, Chairman of the British Nuclear Tests Veterans’ Association, said: “I too have been slurred by this phoney magazine and have reported the matter to police. This is clearly an elaborate attempt to sow discord between my organisation and fissionline which has always supported the brave servicemen who took part in nuclear bomb tests.” 5

UKE VET champion Dr Chris Busby, fears he will be found dead with his wrists slashed like controversial weapons expert Dr David Kelly. In a chilling broadcast Dr Busby compared his current battles with the Ministry of Defence to that of Dr Kelly who allegedly committed suicide after being named as the source behind the

has to.” Dr Busby hit the headlines last year when he was arrested after his home in Cornwall was raided by bomb squad officers. He was later released without charge amid claims the raid was politically motivated. Speaking about his arrest, Prof Busby said: “I was arrested for no good reason last September and put into handcuffs and thrown into a cell on a com-

infamous ‘dodgy dossier’ story involving Iraqi nuclear weapons. In a dramatic video broadcast, Dr Busby said: “We know the world we are living in is not honest and just and secure and I am saying in this little short video that if you find me like David Kelly sitting up against a tree with my wrists slashed and a suicide note saying I can’t take it any more don’t believe it because I am quite happy and OK. The world is a beautiful place which is being destroyed by some evil people. And I am going to stand up and fight them. Because somebody

pletely trumped up charge about manufacturing explosives for which there was no evidence whatever. The police broke into my house without a warrant and they carried out all sorts of actions which were strictly illegal.” Dr Busby now believes he could suffer the same fate as weapons expert David Kelly who died after being found dead in a wood. Dr Busby, who is currently involved in two tribunals involving a nuclear veteran and a former mariner on a nuclear submarine, believes the Ministry of Defence is “running scared.”

He said: “The MoD know they are losing, and that is what is worrying me a bit because the most dangerous animal is the animal that is cornered or wounded and I just wanted to briefly say that if I get found in some strange situation were I am dead you can assume that somebody has killed me. Because I am quite happy; I don’t have any intention of killing myself; I am enjoying myself. And what I am doing against the Ministry of Defence is basically winning. And this is an enormously important case as they have actually stated in their letter to the judge. Dr Busby, who made his broadcast from the Latvian capital Riga, talked about the two latest cases he is involved with:“One important case is in Scotland where a submarine crew member died of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. His widow tried to obtain a war pension and MOD refused because they said he couldn’t have been exposed to radiation. One of the things they said was that Non Hodgkin’s lymphoma is not caused by radiation. But there is huge scientific evidence showing that it is. So the Ministry of Defence are saying that it wasn’t caused by ionising radiation and the literature shows that it can be. I proved this in a written report to the tribunal.

“The point is that when the original case was heard, the tribunal judges said they weren’t allowed to look at my data because I had been excluded by the British Government as an expert witness. This happened in 2014 when a case was brought against me in the High Court in London to have

me excluded as an expert witness. In view of that what the Scottish judge has now done is allow us to appeal this decision in the Scottish court and he sent seven questions to the Ministry of Defence. 8

“The MoD now have to answer wheth. er it is fair to exclude evidence. and a whole lot of other things relating to my evidence. At last we have found a judge who realises that it is unjust if you exclude evidence. “This has put the MoD on the back foot, and as a result they are freaking

out. They now have to respond. it goes to court in Scotland under Scottish law which is not the same as English law. So although they managed to exclude me as a witness under English law because they said I was biased; my bias being that I believe that

ionising radiation kills people. They now have to prove that under Scottish law which is not the same thing. “So that’s the first case. The second case is of a test veteran carried over from the test veteran cases that happened in 2016. In this case I have brought two very eminent expert witnesses and I am acting as the representative of a veteran who died of pancreatic cancer. And the Ministry of Defence has brought in an expert called Dr Ann Braidwood who wrote a report. But unfortunately for them in the 2013 case this same Ann Braidwood admitted under oath that she wasn’t an expert on anything. So I have written to the judge saying you can hardly allow the Ministry of Defence to use this woman as an expert witness when she herself says she isn’t one. So that is also hanging in the air. So they have now got two pistols pointing at their head and that worries me slightly because it seems to me they only way out is to get me. So I repeat, if I am found dead in circumstance similar to Dr David Kelly, don’t believe it. Dr Busby, has fought many court cases and tribunals on behalf of nuclear veterans and radiation victims, 9

ALAN OWEN, the son of a nuclear veteran, went along to his first meeting of the British Nuclear Tests Veterans’ Association -- and walked away with the chairmanship and the promise of an MBE. “It all happened so fast,” he said. Of course I was flattered. But then I thought, ‘hang on a minute, what’s all this about?’” At the time the nuclear veterans had just been awarded £6million out of Libor Funds. But instead of going to the BNTVA, which had made the application, it went to a new organisation called the Nuclear Community Charity Fund. Said Mr Owen: “I knew nothing about this organisation. Like everyone else I thought the cash was for the nuclear veterans so when the BNTVA put out a post asking for trustees, I thought I could help so I put in an application. “I got a letter saying ‘Yes, the Board has accepted you. Come to our AGM. You can attend our first meeting and see what’s going on.’ “So I went there the night before the main AGM for a board meeting. Most of the trustees were there and Jeff Liddiatt, the chairman, said he was going to be stepping down and that they wanted me to be the new chairman. “I was shocked. This was my first meeting. I now believe there was a plan to neutralise the BNTVA as a campaigning organisation. And I believe I was being set up as the fall guy to carry out the plan.” *More pages 10-11 11

sat down with all these people I crazy. hardly knew and we were barely I decided to do some research. I read four minutes into the meeting a couple of fissionline articles and was when I was asked would I like to disturbed by them. They raised many be the chairman.. doubts about the way the BNTVA was I thought, they cannot be serious. being run. They knew nothing about me; all they The next day I met Nigel Heaps, a forhad was my CV which could have been mer BNTVA Chairman, but now acting a pack of lies. I could have been a as a special advisor to the NCCF charimass murderer for ty. He was scathall they cared. ing about fisI was so taken aback sionline. He told that I refused to me not to aptake it on. I asked proach Ken them how they McGinley, a fiscould possibly ask sionline Board me to take on such member. He an important post. said, ‘Don’t go I said I only went anywhere near along because I him. You need to thought I could help be talking to the with their IT sysFrench. That is tems. That’s what I where the future went in looking for. is. Don’t talk to But they said not to the Americans BY ALAN OWEN worry. They would because they are set me up as a a waste of BNTVA Chairman chairman designate space.’ Finally and I would shadow Jeff Liddiatt for a he assured me that all would be well. year. He said to me, ’don’t worry about a They said it was because of my back- thing. You’ll be all right, we’ll even get ground in running an IT company for you an MBE as well.’ charities. Because of that they insisted I spoke to other members. They, too, that I could bring something to the had been told to stay away from fisboard.. sionline. Everyone was apparently So I became the chairman designate. told, stay away from it. Don’t go near When I rang my wife to tell her, she it. There was a lot of worry about fiscouldn’t believe it. She thought it was sionline.

I sat for a couple of days thinking, do I It was all so wrong, so I decided to do really want to do it? I was shocked and something about it. We stepped up flattered. But then I dethe campaign for cided to give it a go; that medal recognition, I would throw time at it. and we are making My father, who served real progress; and we on Christmas Island with are actively helping the Americans as part of members in their Operation Dominic, alfight for war Penways told me to do the sions. right thing. He told me I read the interview stand up to what you with Melloney Poole, think is right. If you get it the head of the Aged Nigel Heaps: Warning wrong put your hands up Veterans Fund. She and say ‘well I got that gave explicit assurone wrong.’ ances about the manI was told there was agement of the Libor nothing to worry about cash, assurances that taking on the job as turned out to be holchairman and that everylow. thing was above board. I believe the deal was But I wanted to find out that the £6million Lifor myself. I looked at bor funds would only everything that was be released if the nuonline like the fissionline clear veterans gave articles, like the emails I up campaigning. I beJeff Liddiatt: Have my job was receiving from memlieve that because as bers, and it slowly dawned on me that soon as we announced we were going something was wrong. It seemed to to go for medal recognition, I was me that the BNTVA was being slowly thrown off one of the committees I strangled. Worse I realised it was be- had been co-opted on to oversee the ing eradicated. health studies. I realised then I was “The members were not even called just brought in as a stooge. But they nuclear veterans anymore. They were chose the wrong guy. I am not going to being called Aged Veterans. But I be- allow the BNTVA to sink into obscurity lieve their position is unique; there is a and to be airbrushed out of history. big difference. 13

Fissionline: How

much money are BH Associates getting for their services as a company? Melloney Poole, Head of the Aged Veterans Fund: Over the three years it is £30,000. And when you think we allow up to 10 per cent of a one million pound grant for project management services you can see why this is extremely good value. TAKE A good look at this invoice. It’s from a commercial company called BH Associates, run by Nigel Heaps, the former chairman of the British Nuclear Tests Veterans’ Association, and his pal Stephen Bexon. BH Associates was set up to manage the millions of pounds allocated to Britain’s nuclear veterans out of Libor fines on the big banks. Legitimate conflict of interest questions were raised at this arrangement, but in a recorded interview with fissionline, Melloney Poole, the head of the Aged Veterans Fund, was at great pains to point out that BH Associates would only re-

ceive a modest £30,000 spread over three years for its services. She assured us the company would not be making a profit out of the veterans and would have no say in running veterans’ affairs. Three years on and the BH Associates have presented a bill for an eye-watering £344,809 for their services which includes a bill for £145,069 for ‘attending meetings and conferences’, £36,000 for ‘Press and Media Events’, and £46,000 for ‘Sundries and Office Costs.’ fissionline has written to Melloney Poole asking for an explanation. We await her reply with interest.

President Trump last month caused a storm when he suggested that hurricanes could be neutralised by bombarding them with nuclear weapons. But the idea may not seem as outlandish as some have suggested. For scientists in the 1950s seriously considered exploding a nuclear bomb in a hurricane far at sea to destroy it before it reached land. Jack W. Reed, a meteorologist at Sandia Laboratory came up with the idea while studying the atmospheric effects produced by America’s first detonation of a hydrogen bomb, which had lifted a massive column of air more than 20 miles into the sky. Reed had the opportunity to present his research at various conferences, notably the symposium on the Plowshare programme—a US government initiative to develop “peaceful” uses for nuclear weapons in science and industry. Some of the most infamous Plowshare proposals included plans to use nukes to create an instant harbour on the coast of Alaska and to excavate a new Panama Canal. In his paper Reed speculated that a submarine could travel underwater to penetrate the eye of a hurricane, where it would launch and detonate one or more nuclear missiles. The ensuing explosion would loft most of the relatively warm air

in the hurricane's eye high above the storm into the stratosphere. The warm air would then be replaced by colder, denser air— reducing the wind speed and weakening the storm. Reed calculated that a 20 megaton explosion could slow a storm with 100-knot peak winds to 50 knots. The research would require setting off multiple nukes. Physicists were horrified mainly because of the issue of radioactive fallout, which would move with the trade winds to affect land areas and cause devastating environmental problems. The prestigious National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) was so worried it created a web page devoted entirely to debunking the idea that you can “nuke a hurricane.” Shortly after Trump came to power National Geographic published an article pointing out how frequently the idea of nuking hurricanes has been raised over the last few decades. “It’s an appealing thought,” it said, “especially when, during hurricane season, we’re annually reminded of the immense destruction wrought by these storms. In the article, the magazine pointed out that the response from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration was: “Needless to say, this is not a good idea.”

FISSIONLINE Issue 57 is yet another edition that addresses many truths of the betrayal meted out against all who loyally served the nation at the nuclear tests. It comes as no surprise to see that certain individuals involved with the nuclear veterans appear to have motives driven by personal gain rather than an honourable settlement of nuclear veterans claims. The Government (i.e. leading politicians and civil servants ) in any event are unconcerned with another time - consuming cytogenetic study currently being carried out by Brunel University. They will, on recent historic record, draw comfort from the fact that any finding, beneficial to nuclear veterans and families, will be ignored , diminished or manipulated to suit the Establishment’s policy of denial as was done with the ‘crucial and pivotal’ evidence of the 2007 ‘peer reviewed’ Rowland study . None of us should be surprised that Prince Harry , the Duke of Sussex , appears to have not raised the plight of Fijian’s who took part in the tests . His Royal Highness would in any event only have the records of Government to rely upon . Records which we all know are biased and inaccurate . An effort was made earlier this year, from Australia

and NZ , to have the plight of veterans who took part in the nuclear weapon tests to be brought to the attention of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM). However, the lack of any response and apathy by this meeting is best summed up by a contact of mine (with many years experience of southern hemisphere politics) who remarked the CHOGM was regarded in Canberra as ‘Chaps Holidaying on Government Money’. Combined Service Forces of Commonwealth and UK servicemen attending these experimental locations in the Pacific and Australia were not on an exotic holiday, as Ken McGinley states in his report; they were living and working for months in a hostile environment of gamma and residual fall out radiation without adequate protective clothing and any respirators . Joe Pasquini’s report is a devastating demolition of the MoD’s policy of denial. One of the best , and if not , the very best researched and credible reports I’ve read. Joe’s comment that the nuclear veterans’ case is “ a prima facia case of neglect, and dereliction of duty , experienced at one time or other by all who took part in the nuclear test program” aptly sums up the betrayal by the Establishment in denying an honourable settlement of claims to those who have loyally served the nation. . To his added credit, Joe’s excellent report also focuses upon the two key factors on causation ignored by the AWE’s Mr Cockerill and others whose function as civil servants is only to assist a Government policy of obfuscation rather than establish the truth. The first key fact being the denial that gamma radiation ( x-rays ) received on the detonation of each weapon is a ‘cumulative dose’ in the DNA of recipient veterans . Secondly the chronic , isotopic fall out of alpha 18

and beta particles following detonations inhaled and or ingested by veterans is totally ignored by the AWE . This is because this latter residual radiation, once inside the body ( lodged in tissue , bone and organs ) acts as internal emitting radiation inside the body of victims at cellular level adding considerably to the dosage received in a victim’s lifetime Fall out was recognised as the prime causal link to legacy ill health in veterans by Mr Justice Foskett in is summing up of the 2009 Limitation Trial Verdict . This of course , as Joe confirms , is a fact dismissed disingenuously in the Supreme Court summing up of the 4 to 3 verdict of 2012 as a form of radiation which is only “low level” and therefore of no consequence to future legacy ill health and premature deaths . This of course is a lie . For those of us who attended that hearing it was a very frustrating time listening to the repetitive references made by Government lawyers that fall out is only ‘low dose radiation’. This is the main course in the diet of deception parroted by epidemiologists since the first UK nuclear test in 1952 .The irradiation of the Canberras used in numerous cloud sampling is an interesting point in Joe’s report. It is a fact that made no difference to how these aircraft were disposed of. Did the MoD care about their subsequent use of these irradiated aircraft by aircrews ?

Ian Anderson’s brilliant article about the Thule incident in Iceland illustrates yet another Government-sponsored damage limitation exercise; This time the political failure to support the EU Directive 96/29 ( of 1996 ) that ‘all persons potentially exposed to ionising radiation should be medically

monitored by Governments’ . This is a failure to act in order to deny accountability for the legacy ill health resulting from radiation exposure. In the first decade of the millennium a great effort was made by some of us to bring this requirement to the attention of politicians . The MoD however , as a law unto themselves , dismissed the Directive as “not applicable to the military use of nuclear energy “. Attempts were made to get the Scottish Parliament to take up the Directive on behalf of Scottish veterans who attended nuclear test locations . Ian Anderson even wrote to the Scottish Health Secretary of the time, Nichola Sturgeon MSP, whose response was a predictable abdication of responsibility stating that nuclear matters are not in the remit of Edinburgh but are solely under control of Westminster . It appears to be a fact of politicians to turn a blind eye to any help for veterans and not upset the Establishment . Sturgeon’s response was one of callous abandonment of Scottish Nuclear Veterans considering the Isle of Man government around this time in the late 1990’s had made a compensation payment to all Manx veterans who had attended the nuclear tests .The whole policy of nuclear health issues has only one arbiter : not the truth of the science but the disingenuousness and bad faith of the MoD. The Cold War brought a legacy of DNA damage , ill health and premature deaths for nuclear veterans . The politicians and civil service since that time have much to answer for .Their silence in the face of historic fact can only logically be one of criminal negligence .This is a fact that will emerge because all truth eventually becomes self-evident 19

was a momentous event: the President of the United States making a full public apology to nuclear veterans and civilians deliberately exposed to radiation for experimental purposes. The only problem was hardly anyone noticed. For just as the major networks were preparing to broadcast the unprecedented act...the jury in the OJ Simpson murder trial unexpectedly returned a not guilty verdict. Presidential apologies were virtually unheard of in the United States, and almost every media outlet in the country cleared its schedules for ‘special reports’ on America’s secret bomb testing programme and experiments on civilians. NBC, CNN put aside at least a third of their air time to publishing President Clinton’s apology and its ramifications. But suddenly everything changed. The schedules were cleared for an even greater event (in the eyes of the public and the press at least): the OJ Simpson murder trial came to an abrupt end with his sensational acquittal. It completely eclipsed Clinton’s announcement. Such was the blanket coverage given to OJ that hardly a word of Clinton’s apology was broadcast.

In despair, Congresswoman Hazel O’Leary, who had put the report together lamented “The president apologising for the wrongdoing done to servicemen and civilians was very significant. Presidential national apologies are actually very few and far between. But unfortunately reports released were completely trampled by OJ verdict coming out. On TV the only station not carrying the verdict was the weather channel.” In his 1995 address from the White House President Clinton said: “When the government does wrong we have a moral responsibility to admit it. The duty we owe to one another to tell the truth and to protect our fellow citizens from excesses like these is one we can never walk away from. “Our government failed in that duty and the United States of America offers a sincere apology to those of our citizens who were subjected to these experiments, to their families and to their communities. When the government does wrong we have a moral responsibility to admit it.” Clinton made the remarks as he accepted the recommendations of a Presidential Committee to study the radiation experiments, including atomic bomb testing, on servicemen and civilians, which began in 1944 and continued for three decades.

At the end of the Second World War the Soviet Union had but one aim: to build an atomic bomb. To that end. Stalin gave his chief henchman, the feared Leventia Beria, unlimited powers. Brutally Beria used used slave labour to build a secret city called Atomgrad No.1 in Armenia and by 1949 the first bomb was successfully exploded. To show the bomb was built by the proletariat, this picture of a ‘peasant worker’ standing in front of an A-Bomb casing was widely distributed in factories and work places throughout the country.

They say imitation in the sincerest form of flattery, so I’m not too bothered about the morons who made up a phoney edition of fissionline and published it on line. They obviously haven’t got the brains to produce their own successful brand, so they have leached on to fissionline to get their twisted ideas across. What I am concerned about is the authors used the fissionline title to besmirch a couple of good people who have dedicated their lives to improving the lot of Britain’s nuclear veterans. Academic Becky Alexis Martin and BNTVA Chairman Alan Owen deserve the highest praise for what they do, and one can only imagine the motives behind this baleful attack. I am heartened, however, to report that many of our readers have contacted us to say the grammar and general tone was so bad in the forged document they were not taken in for a minute. Meanwhile the police have been called in to investigate.

Parliament is having a collective nervous breakdown with much wailing and gnashing of teeth. MP's are at each others throats and unbridled outrage seems to the order of the day. It makes you want to just lock the doors and not let them out until they behave like civilised human beings. Ken McGinley, one of our directors, was so fed up with it he went for a quiet walk near his home in Johnstone and happened to bump into his local SNP MP Mhairi Black, who was happy to pose for this ‘selfie’ with Ken. She’s the youngest member of parliament and has always been a big supporter of Britain’s nuclear veterans. Unlike her foam-flecked colleagues in Parliament, Mhairi always has a big smile for everyone and cheerfully listens to the problems that really matter to her constituents. Said Ken: “Mhairi puts many of her older MP colleagues to shame. They should all take a leaf from her book.” 22