[net.politics] Green Peace and French Nuke Tests

jon@sdcrdcf.UUCP (Jonathan Gingerich) (10/12/85)

a
I recently saw an editorial on the Rainbow Warrior sinking from the French
viewpoint.  It seemed to suggest that French nuclear test are underground
and have been for a while.  This surprised me, because I thought they were
still doing atmospheric testing.  Are they indeed doing underground testing,
and if so what are Green Peace's objections to this?

orb@whuxl.UUCP (SEVENER) (10/22/85)

> I recently saw an editorial on the Rainbow Warrior sinking from the French
> viewpoint.  It seemed to suggest that French nuclear test are underground
> and have been for a while.  This surprised me, because I thought they were
> still doing atmospheric testing.  Are they indeed doing underground testing,
> and if so what are Green Peace's objections to this?

The next scheduled French nuclear test is an underground test but I don't
believe the French have ever disavowed all atmospheric nuclear testing.
Moreover Green Peace is opposed to ALL nuclear tests because such
tests are a pivotal part of the nuclear arms race and allow the
continued development of nuclear weapons.  Green Peace has held demonstrations
in both Moscow and Washington opposing nuclear testing by the Soviet Union
and the United States, besides their actions in the Pacific against France.
Currently there is a month long sit-in at the U.S. nuclear test sites in
Nevada to prevent American nuclear tests.  Reagan has yet to respond to
the Soviets unilateral moratorium on nuclear tests.  However the Soviet
testing moratorium has scarcely been mentioned by the media or commentators
except when it was first announced.  It is the first such unilateral move
since Kennedy's moratorium on atmospheric nuclear testing which later led
to the Limited Test Ban Treaty- a treaty which, according to our own
Joint Chiefs of Staff, has never been broken by either the Soviet Union
or the U.S.
Reagan does not want to stop nuclear tests because they would interfere
with plans to develop more advanced nuclear weapons and possible
x-ray powered Star Wars stations.
      "Peace in the World, or the World in Pieces!"
        tim sevener whuxn!orb

mcgeer@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU (Rick McGeer) (10/25/85)

In article <733@whuxl.UUCP> orb@whuxl.UUCP (SEVENER) writes:
>continued development of nuclear weapons.  Green Peace has held demonstrations
>in both Moscow and Washington opposing nuclear testing by the Soviet Union
>and the United States, besides their actions in the Pacific against France.

Now this I did not know.  When did Greenpeace hold a demonstration in Moscow?
What was the demonstration (a sit-in, protest march, riot?)  Did any Muscovites
join them?  How did the Red authorities react?  Are the Greenpeace people still
in Lubyanka prison?  How about their Russian partners, if any?

I really do want to know: I'm not asking these questions tongue-in-cheek.  I
don't recall seeing anything in the media about this.

						-- Rick.

matthews@harvard.ARPA (Jim Matthews) (10/25/85)

> Moreover Green Peace is opposed to ALL nuclear tests because such
> tests are a pivotal part of the nuclear arms race and allow the
> continued development of nuclear weapons.

I have yet to hear a convincing argument against continued testing,
except, perhaps, for the argument that they damage the environment.
We have enough bombs to decimate civilization right now -- new ones
add nothing to the basic risk, and in fact reduce it (very marginally)
though lower yields, higher reliability, less long-term radiation, etc.
If anything, I would campaign for the destruction of those old, huge
warheads that populate our stockrooms.

>   Reagan has yet to respond to
> the Soviets unilateral moratorium on nuclear tests.  However the Soviet
> testing moratorium has scarcely been mentioned by the media or commentators
> except when it was first announced.  It is the first such unilateral move
> since Kennedy's moratorium on atmospheric nuclear testing which later led
> to the Limited Test Ban Treaty- a treaty which, according to our own
> Joint Chiefs of Staff, has never been broken by either the Soviet Union
> or the U.S.
>       "Peace in the World, or the World in Pieces!"
>         tim sevener whuxn!orb

I have seen the moratorium all over the New York Times and Boston Globe,
so I don't think anyone's forgotten about it.  However, those papers
have also reported the fact that the moratorium was enabled by an
accelerated testing schedule in late 1984 and early 1985, so in fact it
represents no sacrifice at all.  The comparison with the Limited Test Ban
Treaty is misleading -- it hasn't been broken because there's no reason
to break it, as the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. both have the resources and 
technology to do underground testing.  Neither, however, will abandon
all testing, making a comprehensive test ban a hypocritical and useless
proposition for both sides.

Jim Matthews
matthews@harvard

orb@whuxl.UUCP (SEVENER) (10/29/85)

> In article <733@whuxl.UUCP> orb@whuxl.UUCP (SEVENER) writes:
> >continued development of nuclear weapons.  Green Peace has held demonstrations
> >in both Moscow and Washington opposing nuclear testing by the Soviet Union
> >and the United States, besides their actions in the Pacific against France.
> 
> Now this I did not know.  When did Greenpeace hold a demonstration in Moscow?
> What was the demonstration (a sit-in, protest march, riot?)  Did any Muscovites
> join them?  How did the Red authorities react?  Are the Greenpeace people still
> in Lubyanka prison?  How about their Russian partners, if any?
> 
> I really do want to know: I'm not asking these questions tongue-in-cheek.  I
> don't recall seeing anything in the media about this.
> 
> 						-- Rick.

Of course you didn't see anything in the media about this. It was there but
only in papers like the NY Times, and then in one of those little boxes
in the back pages.   You also didn't see anything about the conference
on Nuclear War sponsored by International Physicians for the Prevention
of Nuclear War broadcast on Soviet prime-time TV.
Green Peace hoisted a banner in Moscow some months ago:this was reported
in the NY Times.
As you are probably aware Green Peace has also held demonstrations against
Soviet whale and seal hunts.
Nor did you see anything about the letters to Rude Pravo, the Czechoslovakian
newspaper protesting Soviet deployment of more SS-20's in Czechoslovakia.
There is a Peace Movement in Eastern Europe largely sheltered by the
churches.  Recently Western Peace Groups met with key members of Poland's
Solidarity Movement to foster ties and the understanding that support
for Peace and non-violence need not mean opposition to human rights groups
and the struggles for autonomy represented by Solidarity.
 
Indeed, Lech Walesa has stated that he is seeking to emulate Gandhi's
methods of civil disobedience and non-violence rather than violent
revolution.
I have references for these events at home and will post them later.
           tim sevener  whuxn!orb