Avatar photoWMD Commission on Iran

The Commission on the Intelligence Capabilities of the United States Regarding Weapons of Mass Destruction (also known as the WMD Commission or Silberman-Robb Commission after its co-chairmen) was empaneled to “assess whether the intelligence community is sufficiently authorized, organized, equipped, trained, and resourced to identify … the development … of weapons of mass destruction” threats …

Avatar photoHitler's Bomb

German historian Rainer Karlsch has written a book, Hitler’s Bomb, which— according to press reports—concludes “Adolf Hitler had the atom bomb first but it was too primitive and ungainly for aerial deployment.” Karlsch reportedly claims Germany tested the weapon in the Baltic and that the fissile material came from “an atomic reactor in Gottow, a …

Avatar photoHans Bethe, 1906-2005

Hans Bethe, an important figure in the Manhattan Project and long time proponent of arms control, has passed away today, aged 98. Oh, did I mention the Nobel prize? His 1968 article, co-authored with Richard Garwin, demolishing the rationale behind the Safeguard ABM system (“Anti-Ballistic Missile Systems,” Scientific American 218:3, March 1968, pp.21-31) is the …

Avatar photoAppearance of Impropriety

More on John Bolton’s nomination as Ambassador to the UN. I can think of 30,000 reasons that Bolton should not be confirmed for this post. The Washington Post previously reported that former Taiwanese President Lee Teng-hui maintained “a secret $100 million fund to buy influence with foreign governments, institutions and individuals”: Taiwanese officials said the …