From: Bill Frantz <frantz@netcom.com>
Date: Thu, 9 Oct 1997 00:50:39 +0800
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: Re: russia_1.html
In-Reply-To: <199710081352.GAA17135@mail6.netcom.com>
Message-ID: <v0300780cb06157ccb00a@[207.94.249.179]>
MIME-Version: 1.0
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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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