The Nation : Seismic Study Finds Secret Nuclear Tests

A seismic study found evidence of 71 small, previously secret nuclear bomb tests in Nevada, suggesting U.S. and Soviet officials could detect any cheating if the two nations agree to a test ban treaty, an environmental group said in Las Vegas. “The study does offer evidence (that) it is difficult to hide a militarily significant testing program,” said Thomas Cochran, a senior staff scientist for the Natural Resources Defense Council in Washington. The NRDC’s compilation of U.S. nuclear tests was released during the International Scientific Symposium on a Nuclear Test Ban, which drew 300 environmental and peace activists who want the superpowers to halt all test explosions. The U.S. Energy Department has long said it conducts unannounced test explosions at the Nevada test site.