DO TERRORISTS ALREADY HAVE NUKES HIDDEN IN THE U.S.?
By Bob Holritz

For decades, the CIA, the Pentagon and other government agencies responsible for America’s security kicked around the idea that the Soviet Union would try to smuggle nukes into the U.S. But the thought of such a diabolical plan carried out, even by the “Evil Empire,” was largely dismissed as, as far from reality as a plot from a James Bond novel.

By the mid 90’s however, a series of events began to change the tone in Washington. Skepticism was replaced by the realization that indeed the Soviets may have placed suitcase size nuclear weapons in strategic locations throughout the U.S.

The controversy began in earnest in May 1997 during a closed meeting between a delegation from the congressional Military Research and Development Committee and former Russian Security Council Secretary Aleksandr Lebed. During this briefing, Lebed shocked both American and Russian attendees by declaring the Soviet Union had developed “suitcase” sized nuclear weapons. He further alarmed them when he stated that as Security Council Secretary he took an inventory of these highly portable nukes and of the 132 that were built, approximately 48 could not be accounted for. Lebed stated that he notified Yeltzin of the apparent discrepancy. But he dismissed the issue as a political ploy to make him look bad.

Lebed repeated his statement a few months later on CBS's 60 minutes. However this time he revised the figures to 250 weapons built and 100 missing. Lebed went on to describe the weapons as weighing 60 to 100lbs and small enough to fit into a small suitcase. Lebed's claims were immediately refuted by top ranking Russians who denied that any such weapons existed. They claimed that such weapons would be too expensive to make, too heavy to carry, and would require constant maintenance. Of course, none of this was true, as anyone with even the most basic training in the field of nuclear weapons knew. The W54 warhead, developed in the mid 1950s by the U.S, and used in the AIM 26A missile, weighed a mere 51 pounds yet had a respectable yield of 250 tons.
Yeltsin was on the spot. Was Lebed's story true? He had no idea. Prior to his election as president he had little dealings with the Russian military. He called on Alexei Yablokov his science advisor and friend to investigate Lebed's allegations. In his testimony before the US congressional committee, Yablokov stated his report was not very ensuring to Yeltsin. He confirmed that the Soviets had developed small nuclear weapons. “I talked to the people who made them,” he reported. These weapons were intended for the KGB and were therefore difficult to trace. If there was any good news it was that Yablokov could not say how many were made or if there were, in fact, any unaccounted for.

In 1998 testimony of Col. Stanislaw Lunev (an assumed name ) a defector from the GRU, the Russian Intelligence service shocked Sen. Curt Weldon's committee. Lunez testified that in the 70s when the cold war was at its peak, he was a spy working as a correspondent for the Soviet newspaper Tass. His covert duties were to search for places in which small (suitcase) weapons could be hidden. He also tracked the whereabouts of key military and political figures incase a preemptive strike was necessary.

In 1999 Oleg Gordievsky a former KGB officer who defected to Great Britain, said that he saw documents that were smuggled out of Russia by former KGB archivist Vasili Mitrokhin which stated that weapons caches were placed in the US, in Texas, New York, California, Montana, and Minnesota. While these documents did not show their exact location or reveal their contents, Weldon argued that in his statements before the committee former GRU Col Lunev testified that “suitcase nukes” had been smuggled into the United States.

The collapse of the soviet Union has nurtured the emergence to the so called “Russian Mafia.” This group of criminals, many of whom come from the former ranks of the military and the KGB, has become wealthy selling anything military to the highest bidder. In their book “ONE POINT SAFE” Andrew and Leslie Cockburn discuss the complete lack of security surrounding Russia’s nuclear weapons stockpile. Weapons and components of all kinds are left virtually unguarded. Most military writers agree that it is almost certain the some of these weapons or components have fallen into the hands of terrorists or terrorists states.

But what of the weapons planted in the United States? It is entirely possible that a former member of the KGB or GRU know the locations of these devices. If they do, they will almost certainly sell the information to our enemies. There will be no need to smuggle them into the country because they are already here.

EPILOG
Awakened by the events of 911, the Whitehouse and congress realized the vulnerability of the U.S. to weapons of mass destruction. Sen. Curt Weldon's warnings of the possible use of small nuclear weapons climbed near the top of their agenda as the new Department Homeland Security was created. Security at our ports was greatly increased as well as scrutiny of incoming ships and their cargo.

But, what about those suitcase nukes that may already be planted inside our country.

Ever since Lebed’s 1996 testimony the FBI and the CIA have been searching for these weapons although during the Clinton administration the priority was low. Despite letters from Weldon and other members of congress, Clinton refused to confront Yeltsin on the issue because he didn't want to rock the diplomatic boat or, heaven forbid, interfere with Madeline Albright's weak diplomacy.

Even before 911 the Bush administration was actively looking for answers as to the existence and location the any Russian weapons in the U.S. It is almost certain that the subject came up when president Putin visited the Bush ranch. It is interesting that Putin still denies any knowledge of missing weapons, let alone weapons inside the US.

In addition to the formation of the Department of homeland security, President has increased the size of the Nuclear Emergency Search Team (NEST). Nest was created in 1975 after some would be terrorists demanded $200,000 or they would nuke Boston. Although no weapon was ever found, the government realized it was not prepared to deal with this kind of situation. Under the Bush administration NEST's budget has greatly increased and a lot of research is being conducted by the DOE in the development of nuclear detection equipment.

Finally, there is some good news. These weapons, if they exist are nearly thirty years old. They are probably deteriorating to the point that there ability to produce a nuclear yield is greatly diminished or completely lost.
Tritium gas which is used to boost the yield of a weapon has a half life of about 12 years and would no loner be effective. The plutonium or uranium pit would probably be deteriorating as would the explosive shell surrounding it. These weapons would still be capable of creating a dirty bomb spreading deadly nuclear contaminants across a wide area.

General Lebed was killed in a helicopter crash on April 21 2002. For a man who spent most of his life planning to destroy America, it is ironic that his revelations in 1996 may have prevented a devastating attack on the U.S.

Reprint of this article is authorized with credit to the author. Bob Holritz
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