Spying Without Spies: Origins of America's Secret Nuclear Surveillance System (16) First Edition, First Printing

A pretty good summary of of efforts to develop technical means for detecting nuclear tests at long range in the late 1940s and early 1950s, with references and a good index.

Well written and clear. The book lays out the key events and decisions that lead to a successful U.S. detection of the first soviet bomb. Well worth the quick read.

This book should be read by all those whodisparage our government's efforts regardingnational security AND the efforts of thoseservice personnel who implement thosedecisions.Four WB-29 squadrons flew mind-numbing12+ hours flights over barren oceansthinking they were collecting "weather"data. Every 2 or 3 hours a crewmanwould enter a non-pressurized -60 degreechamber with an oxygen bottle strappedto his leg and change a filter. Onlya few on the ground knew the truenature of these flights - proof ofa Russian A-bomb explosion. On the112th alert they hit paydirt.After detonating its own A-bomb, the US knewthat Russia too would eventually produce anuclear weapon. The question was WHEN.This book's main point - to designa system/organization that would providereliable detection and unambiguous proofof a/any foreign A-bomb explosion.The first portion deals with the birthof a monitoring organization. Aftermuch infighting among the services forthat mission, the US Air Force andUS Navy were the main participants.Many other government and civilianagencies, laboratories, etc. werealso involved.The big question was how to detect anuclear explosion from perhaps thousandsof miles away and not disclose to anyone( especially the Russians ) how thiswas done. All other explosions, toinclude a volcano or reactor explosion,had to be ruled out.Several detection methods are discussed :SONIC - balloons with special equipment would hover at specific alti- tudes and measure pressure waves transmitted through the atmosphere; ( how that was done is a story in itself );SEISMIC - measuring pressure waves transmitted through the earth;RADIOLOGICAL - special filters aboard aircraft trap airborne par- ticulates. ( A nuclear explosion produces some 200 radioisotopes of about 34 elements ) Most sought were the radioactive gases - Xenon 133 and later/more important Krypton 85;RAIN WATER - large amounts were analyzed for particulates. This was essentially a Navy responsibility since winds blew west to east over the Pacific.All of the above methods were notconclusive individually. The cen-tral laboratories which analyzedthe materials, especially thosecollected on filters in aircraft,were the key element. Supportingevidence from other methods wasused for positive confirmation.Although at times technical, thebook was excellently organizedand well written. It was almostas if you were reading a mysteryand compiling the clues toapprehend a murderer.Inferred from its reading wasthe enormous amount of time,effort and money devoted tothis project to provide fore-warning of Soviet progress inthe nuclear field. Withsuch information at hand, it waspossible to estimate, "within100 miles and the time to within10 minutes " the site of Joe-1.The composition of the deviceand its yield could also be deduced.The detection of the Soviet A-bombblast is considered one of themost important intelligencetriumphs of US intelligence duringthe Cold War.Recommended reading if you canobtain one from a good library.