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Re: russia_1.html




At 3:01 AM -0700 10/8/97, Peter Trei wrote:
>I don't know if it's comforting or worrying knowing that these
>devices degrade - any in the hands of terrorists have a limited
>time that they are a threat, but that fact may pressure a terrorist
>to 'use it or lose it'.

What I have heard about these suitcase nukes is that they yield about 1-2
kilotons.  I know of no technical reason for them to be thermonuclear
devices.  As such, the decay of tritium would not seem to affect them.
(They will still need a source of neutrons, which might go bad faster than
the plutonium/U235.)

I feel very little comfort.


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