How Did the CIA Lose Nuclear Device?
3 days ago
- #Espionage
- #Environmental Risk
- #Cold War
- A secret CIA mission in 1965 involved American climbers installing a nuclear-powered spy device on Nanda Devi in the Himalayas to monitor China's nuclear tests.
- The climbers abandoned the device, containing plutonium, due to a blizzard, and it was lost in an avalanche, remaining missing to this day.
- The mission was kept secret for over a decade until exposed in the 1970s, causing political and environmental concerns in India.
- Environmentalists and locals fear the lost device could contaminate the Ganges River, though scientists debate the actual risk.
- The CIA and Indian government, including President Jimmy Carter and Prime Minister Morarji Desai, collaborated to cover up the incident.
- Recent natural disasters in the region have reignited fears about the device's potential dangers, with calls for its recovery.
- The climbers involved, including Captain M.S. Kohli, expressed regret and frustration over the mission's mishandling and secrecy.