Cheney Denies Nuclear Shell Accident Risk
Defense Secretary Dick Cheney said today that there were problems with U.S. nuclear artillery shells in Europe, but he said they have been fixed and there was never any danger of an accidental nuclear explosion.
A published report said some experts feared a possible accidental nuclear explosion if the problems were not solved.
“It is important here not to over-dramatize the nature of the problem,” Cheney said. “I will simply say that . . . there was no danger but that the shells in question did not meet the very high standards that we have. I don’t believe there was any cause for concern.”
He declined to go into details of what was done to correct the problems, saying such matters were classified.
Cheney, speaking at a news conference after wrapping up a two-day session with NATO defense ministers, was responding to a story in today’s Washington Post. It said the United States was repairing artillery shells and examining the design of two kinds of missiles because of the possibility of an accidental nuclear explosion.
Cheney said he was not certain at what point the West German government had been informed of potential problems with the shells.
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