Fissionline 68

FISSIONLINE Issue 68 The International Bulletin of Atomic Veterans

June 2023

10th Anniversary Edition

EXCLUSIVE:

UK's atomic bomb test medal revealed All that blood spilled for this

Fissionline: First With the News (as usual).

WE ARE PROUD to announce that this is the servicemen, widows and children who have suffered tenth anniversary of Fissionline, the only journal so cruelly. dedicated to the cause of nuclear victims But there is an even higher calling that goes to the everywhere. very heart of what the Fissionline Fissionline was started in early 2013 to project is all about, and that is to fissionline give a voice to the thousands of veterans rid the world of nuclear weapons of nuclear bomb tests who had been once and for all.

THE TRUTH THEY TRIED TO HIDE cruelly ignored by successive British This call is even more urgent when Governments. as you can see on page four, the From very small beginnings we have nuclear arsenals of the great gone from strength to strength and powers are growing exponentially fissionline is now read in 53 countries as the world enters probably its throughout the world. most dangerous period in human Our scoops include the exposure of history.

'Thatcher's spy', Sir Ernest Cox, who Putin is clearly unstable yet he has infiltrated the BNTVA, with the intention his finger on the button of a of destroying it from within. nuclear stockpile which if unleashed would make Another bombshell was the revelation that Prince life on earth uninhabitable.

Phillip was used by intelligence chiefs as a "decoy China is a vast unknown quantity that is steadily spy" to lure the Russians away from Britain's first growing its nuclear arsenal. Who knows how its atomic bomb test in October 1952. inscrutable leaders will react if they think they are And we have exposed how doctors and scientists threatened. Then there is Kim in North Korea. He today, in the pay of the Government, have used their seems capable of dropping a nuclear weapon on positions to cover-up the consequences of the Awhim. bomb tests, as well massive failures in the nuclear Good people, like the Pugwash Conference, a industry. gathering of distinguished scientists, are working to Governments have been covering-up the devastating prevent the madness. Fissionline is proud to join this impact of radioactive fallout on human beings ever great crusade. since Hirosohima when General Groves, the Military We'd like to expand Fissionline and bring out a print chief in charge of the Manhattan Project, edition. We'd like serious people to write to us and pronounced that radition poisoning was "a pleasant play their part in extending Fissionline's global way to die." reach.

Fissionline has exposed them all, as well as the But we need your help to do it. We need writers to vaious carpetbaggers that have jumped on the porovide us with fresh insights. We need money, bandwagon hoping to make an equitable life for especially for our planned print edition. Most of all themselves out of the suffering of the veterans. we need the support of all right thinking people.

We hope you have enjoyed Fissionline these past 10 years. It has been a labour of love for us, provided at Support us contact the no charge to our thousands of readers.

But it is now time to take it to the next step. We plan editor to provide you with even more fantastic stories from fissionline@gmail.com our hugely comprehensive and unique archive amassed over decades of research.

07801 184011 We plan to continue the fight to expose the truth of what happened at the A-bomb tests until justice is at 0161 969 1344 last delivered to the thousands of nuclear ISSUE TWO: APRIL 2013

WE WILL FIGHT, FIGHT AND FIGHT AGAIN FOR THOSE WHOSE VALOUR IS WRITTEN IN THEIR BLOOD

Bulletin of Nuclear Veterans and Children

A

small

of

the

sample

mass

of

mate-

rial

gath-

ered

over a

20-yr period to produce the Christmas Island Codex.

________________________

On Sale: Between Heaven and

Hell, by Alan Rimmer. £9.99 + p&p.

Fission Chips MoD LIES EXPOSED

2

MARY AND BILLIE

2

A

O

2

MISS ATOMIC BOMB

3

DAD A M ON HE MARCH

3

ATOMIC AL SPEAKS

4

Fissionline contact

4

2

Britain exploded 21 nuclear bombs into the atmosphere between 1952-1958. Thousands of servicemen witnessed each test and many, many suffered as a result. But it has been hard to prove a connection between their ill health and the bomb tests...until now. By homing in on one particular bomb test, Grapple Y, researchers have been able to identify a clear connection between the bomb and deaths and diseases in those who witnessed it. This has been made possible by the discovery of a unique archive of material detailing the experiences of more than 3,000 nuclear veterans. Every detail of the a ; bomb tests they witnessed, the sicknesses they suffered

and the terrible fate of their children and grandchildren.

These flesh and blood accounts, meticulously compiled by Ken McGinley, founder of the British Nua T V a A ation over a 20-yr period, have been underpinned by new scientific and medical evidence which finally nails the lies and deceit as practiced by successive governments. This body of proof , known as The Christmas Island Codex is due to be published later this year. Fssionline can today reveal just one small component of this truly shocking document. The new materialshows how the Ministry of Defence repeatedly coveredup evidence of a huge thunderstorm after Grapple Y which contaminated large

Nailing the lies: The Christmas Island Codex, he econd in he Between Heaven and Hell trilogy.

areas of Christmas Island and exposed thousands of sera , can enter the bloodstream and cause cancers and other illnesses in later life. See pg 2.

Hands Across The Nuclear Divide

Japan stands at a cross- Japan's northeast roads over its reliance coast, killing more on nuclear power as than 20,000 and leavthe country marks the ing at least 150,000 second anniversary of homeless. Nuclear one of the world's Veterans Ken worst atomic disasters. McGinley and Archie On March 11, 2011, a Ross met some of the massive earthquake survivors in Manchestriggered a devastating ter Town Hall last tsunami that struck month.

Could Boris Johnson present the Medal?

Well, here it is, the medal they have all been shouting about; the medal the Government hopes will finally consign Britain's nuclear veterans to the dustbin of history.

By Alan Rimmer

It's simple inscription, 'Nuclear Test Medal' conveys nothing about the fire, fury and abject horror of the nuclear bomb explosions witnessed by thousands of UK, Commonwealth and Fijiian servicemen.

And, of course, it totally fails to acknowledge the deaths and immense suffering of countless nuclear veterans and their children who were deliberately exposed directly and indirectly to the greatest power in the universe.

The ghosts of the men that have gone before, and many who are still alive, will dismiss this medal as

3

an insult, a shiny bauble designed to mask the dark history of denial and cover-ups carried out by the British Government.

Their fight for justice will continue no matter what platitudes are showered upon them, and in that crusade fissionline stands four-square behind them.

That said, the simple design of the medal with its atomic nucleus, crossed palms of Kiribati and seven-pointed star symbolising the 7 Australian states, displays an uncharacteristically light touch by the Ministry of Defence..

The total absence of glowing mushroom clouds or flowery words is a respectful companion to the silent, uncomplaining bravery of the men who took part.

Brave men don't need to shout about their exploits.

But later this year there will be a lot of shouting as 50 nuclear veterans (or their children) are paraded for the cameras before having the medals pinned to their breasts.

It is not known which dignatory will perform this singular honour. Hopes that King Charles may be persuaded to step up are probably fanciful. The Princess Royal might seem a surer bet, or even Prince Edward.

But whoever is chosen you can be sure the politicians will want to muscle in on the celebrations. Premier 'Dishy Rishi' Sunak, with a general election looming, will want to grab his share of the limelight as will Opposition leader Sir Keir Starmer who supported the campaign for a medal.

But the one person who probably deserves this honour more than anyone is that well-known hate figure..Boris Johnson!

After all it was under his administration and following his personal intervention, that the grey suits that award these medals were forced to act.

It would be a delicious irony, as well as a triumph for fair play, if Boris stepped forward to grab all the headlines.

In that eventuality, one can only imagine the wails of anguish from the Boris-hating Left. You could probably hear them from the moon!

World 'drifting into one of the most dangerous periods in history' according to a leading think tank The world is “drifting into one of the most dangerous periods in human history” according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. The warning comes as the number of operational nuclear weapons in the arsenals of the major military powers was said to have drastically increased in recent times.

There are now said to be an estimated 12,512 warheads globally, of which 9,576 are in military stockpiles ready for potential use, up 86 on a year ago.

Worryingly the rise has been mainly caused by a massive rearmanent programme in China which has accounted for 60 of the new warheads.

The other new weapons are attributed to Russia (12), Pakistan (five), North Korea (five) and India (four).

Russia and the US together possess almost 90% of all the nuclear weapons globally. In addition to their usable nuclear weapons, the two powers each hold more than 1,000 warheads previously retired from military service, which they are gradually dismantling.

Of the total of 12,512 warheads in the world, which includes those that are retired and awaiting dismantlement, it is estimated that 3,844 are deployed with missiles and aircraft.

China, the world’s third biggest nuclear power, is believed to have increased its number of warheads from 350 in January 2022 to 410 in January 2023.

That arsenal is expected to keep growing although analysts predict they will not surpass the arsenals of the US and Russia.

In 2021, commercial satellite imagery revealed that China had started construction of hundreds of new missile silos across the north of its territory.

A spokesman for the Stockholm Research Institute said: “China has started a significant expansion of its

nuclear arsenal. It is increasingly difficult to square this trend with China’s declared aim of having only the minimum nuclear forces needed to maintain its national security.”

The news comes as Ukraine's nuclear energy agency says it has put the last operating reactor at Europe's largest nuclear power plant into a "cold shutdown" — a safety precaution as catastrophic flooding from the collapse of a nearby dam threatens the facility's water supply.

Five out of six reactors at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, which is occupied by Russian forces, are already in cold shutdown, in which all control rods are inserted into the reactor core to stop the nuclear fission reaction and generation of heat and pressure.

Energoatom, the Ukrainian nuclear power agency, said in a statement that there was "no direct threat" to the Zaporizhzhia plant due to the breach of the Kakhovka dam further down the Dnipro River, which has forced thousands of people to flee flooding and also sharply reduced water levels in a reservoir used to help cool the facility.

Energoatom said that other factors in the decision included shelling near the site which has damaged overhead lines connecting the plant to Ukraine's energy system.

With all nuclear reactions stopped, temperatures and pressure inside reactors gradually decline, reducing the required intensity of water cooling of the radioactive fuel. This is a nuclear power plant's safest operating mode. Energoatom employees are still working at the power plant, although it remains controlled by the Russians.

World News

4

From the desk of Ken McGinley President of the British Nuclear Tests Veterans' Association.

Good Luck Ceri

Marbles Intact!

I hope the Mirror and that useless rump of that are supposedly in charge of my organisation, the British Nuclear Tests Veterans' Association, are proud of themselves.

I recently had a chat with Ceri Marsh, the former CEO of the BNTVA and although she remains in good spirits, the change in her life since she was hounded out is dramatic.

She has no job, exists on benefits, is 'sofa surfing' on a relative's couch, and finds it impossible to see her own children on a regular basis.

And all because of a campaign based on what she describes as 'lies and innuendos' to oust her from her position. An outcome, faithfully reported by the Daily Mirror, the self-styled "champion" of nuclear veterans.

In my opinion Ceri, was a tireless campaigner for the nuclear veterans and can always count on the support of not only myself, but I'm sure people like BBC broadcaster Naga Munchetty who was very impressed by her sincerity and acumen.

Ceri has worked ceaselessly to further our great cause and I wish her well in her forthcoming industrial tribunal against those who have dragged her down.

Fissionline editor Alan Rimmer reports that he has received a letter from a former trustee of the BNTVA questioning my sanity because I wrote a letter demanding that all the Trustees step down until the whole sorry mess the association has managed to get itself into in recent months is sorted out.

Referring to the announcement of my illness (I have stage four lung and kidney cancer) this gentleman writes: "As I am sure you know, he is quite seriously ill, and in my opinion not capable of writing the recent documents I have read from him about the BNTVA." Well, I'm sorry to disappoint this gentleman but although my body is failing, it hasn't affected my brain. I am still quite capable of thought, can still hold a conversation, write a letter, put a bet on and most of all I know right from wrong and have the mental capacity to treat such abhorrent remarks with the disdain they deserve.

But just so he knows, below is a recent picture of myself with a tribal wrap, a gift from the people of Kiribati who judge me for what I am, not what they think I should be.

If you want to speak to Ken contact fissionline@gmail.com If you include a telephone number he'll ring you back!

5

The horrifying story of the ship that delivered

Survivors shortly after rescue

In 1968 former US Navy Captain Charles B. McVay III any similar craft owned by the US, or indeed Germany or stood at the back porch of his house in Litchfield, the UK. It could carry six huge torpedoes, each 48 feet Connecticut after a spot of gardening. His housekeeper long and weighed eight tons. These ‘Kaitens’ as they were Florence Regosia noticed he looked flushed and had a called had an underwater speed of 30 knots and carried “glazed look” on his face. She put out his lunch and left.

3,200 pounds of explosives in the warhead.

A few minutes late Captain McVay pulled out a The unique thing about a Kaiten, however, gun and blew his brains out. was not its size, speed or explosive power.

It appears the shame of one fateful day at the end of What made them special was that each was WW2 had finally become too much for McVay piloted by a man, the underwater equivalent who was the commanding officer of the heavy of the suicidal kamikaze. cruiser USS Indianopolis, flagship of the massive Upon spotting a target, the pilot climbed Pacific Fifth Fleet, through a hatch into the torpedo, the straps In late July 1945, he was given one of the most holding it to the sub’s decks were released, Capt Charles McVay III important and secret tasks of the war: to ferry the and he steered it toward the target. There was business end of the atomic bomb to Tinian Island in the very little chance that he would miss, and of course it was Marianas where a B29 plane called Enola Gay was revved strictly a one-way mission. up and ready to take off and drop it on Hiroshima.

Even though US Naval intelligence knew their were After successfully delivering the precious cargo, breaking enemy U-boats in the area, McVay had been given no maritime speed records in the process, Capt McVay and warning. his 1,196 strong crew were returning to base in Hawaii Lulled into a false sense of security, he had ordered his when his ship sailed across the path of a marauding ship to sail in a straight line without taking the usual Japanese U-Boat. evasive precautions such as zig-zagging.

The I-58 sub commanded by Lt Commander Mochitsura The Indianapolis was a sitting duck and hashimoto took Hashimoto was far larger and more heavily armed than full advantage.Two torpedoes slammed into the 6

f the USS Indianapolis, d the Hiroshima bomb

Up to 150 eaten by sharks

Indianopolis amidships and such was their devastating power that the crew had time only to send a hasty Mayday signal before the huge vessel turned turtle and began to sink.

Nearly 400 went down with the ship while the rest were cast into the shark-infested waters of the Philippine Sea. McVay was the last to leave the ship, calmly walking off the underbelly as it nosedived into the inky depths.

Because of a series of mistakes and incompetent communications, the sinking went unnoticed by the US Navy and for four agonising days the 800 survivors were at the mercy of the storm-tossed waves, the blistering sun...and of course the sharks that turned up in huge shoals to feast upon the luckless seamen.

Their plight was featured by Capt Quint, a fictional survivor, in the film Jaws. Quint, played by Robert Shaw gave a doom-laden, albeit true account of how the sailors formed large circles in the water in a bid to ward off the ferocious beasts.

But up to 150 men were reportedly taken by sharks. The survivors were finally rescued when an alert US pilot on routine patrol spotted ‘bobbing heads” in the middle of the ocean Only 316 who went into the water survived.

7

The disaster was quickly covered up by the US military when it was realised that no-one had bothered to report the glaring fact that one of their most prestigious vessels had been missing for four days without anyone, apparently, noticing.

The cover-up continued when announcement of the tragedy was made on the same day as President Truman told the American people that the war was over.

Capt McVay, although he did no wrong, was ultimately made the scapegoat and was court marshalled. And although he was later exonerated, he never got over the shame. Hi biggest regret, as he told friends, was not going down with his ship.

Got a story to tell?

Support Fissionline Contact fissionline@gmail.com

FISSIONLINE