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Atomic weapons

The 150-megaton thermonuclear explosion at Bikini Atoll on 1 March 1954 was one of a series of nuclear test explosions carried out by major powers in the 1950s.
The 15-megaton thermonuclear explosion at Bikini Atoll on 1 March 1954 was one of a series of nuclear test explosions carried out by major powers in the 1950s.
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Britain placed great importance on the political and diplomatic status of strategic nuclear weapons and made considerable financial sacrifices to obtain them.

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Search using Atomic energy The McMahon Act Atomic Energy Act

Further reading

  • Baylis, J., Ambiguity and deterrence: British Nuclear Strategy, 1945-1964 (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1995)
  • Barnaby, F. & Holdstock D., The British nuclear weapons programmes, 1952- 2002 (London: Frank Cass, 2003)
  • Moore, R., The Royal Navy and nuclear weapons (London: Routledge, 2001)
  • Paterson, R.H., Britain's strategic nuclear deterrent: from before the V-bomber to beyond Trident (London: Frank Cass, 1997)

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