Customer Reviews

Deception: Pakistan, the United States, and the Secret Trade in Nuclear Weapons

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

In 1998 Pakistan succeeded in denoting its first nuclear bomb some 24 years after India had conducted its first nuclear event in 1974. In the view of Pakistan, developing nuclear weapons and their delivery systems was absolutely necessary as a credible deterrent to a nuclear armed India. This altogether fascinating book chronicles how Pakistan managed to acquire the technology and knowledge to build its own nuclear weapons.

At the center of this story is a remarkable scientist, A.Q. Khan, revered today in Pakistan as the "father of the bomb." It was Khan who used his considerable knowledge and expertise to establish a world wide `network' of friends, associates, and businesses that allowed Pakistan to create a nuclear weapons program. China (PRC) greatly assisted this program having `tilted' towards Pakistan in the Indo-Pakistan confrontation. Khan worked tirelessly from 1975 to his forced retirement in 2001 to provide Pakistan with a nuclear deterrent capability.

The successive governments of Pakistan over the last 30 years have differed in many things, but all supported Khan and his weapons program. And, as this book makes clear, successive U.S. Governments over the same period did not directly support Khan's work, but they did nothing to hamper it either. Indeed geo-political considerations caused the U.S. not only to ignore Pakistan's acquisition of nuclear weapon technology, but to even ignore its export of that technology to countries such as Iran and North Korea, which according to this book's. authors, continues to this day. The title of the book, "Deception" refers not to Pakistan, but to the fact that every administration from 1976 on purposely misinformed the U.S. public on Pakistan's nuclear ambitions and activities.

Rather ironically, the U.S. Intelligence Community actually produced excellent intelligence on both Khan's program and the international trade in nuclear technology. His `network' was pretty well identified by 1985 and its activities were well documented. Unfortunately, as has been often observed, intelligence is only as good as the system it serves and in this case U.S. policy makers over an almost thirty year period were just not interested in this information.

A caveat is in order, the authors of this book are journalists and very good ones at that, but as such they are heavily dependent on interviews with individuals who may have their own agendas to pursue. Therefore, many of the specific details of this book are questionable. Yet it appears that overall this book presents an pretty accurate picture of how Pakistan created a nuclear weapons program under the noses of the U.S. and Western Europe.

"Deception" tells the story of American and English self-deception about Pakistan's nuclear intentions and accomplishments, the consequences of which might not become clear for decades to come. During a 30-year time period, Pakistan went from pleading for an American nuclear umbrella to creating and testing its own bomb, to running an international proliferation effort that aided Iran ('87), Iraq ('90), North Korea ('93), and Libya ('97). The authors also allege that this proliferation was not just a renegade activity by A. Q. Khan, but actually part of Pakistan's foreign policy, plotted and supervised by its military. Regardless, "Deception" contends that the "real scandal" was how successive U.S. (and U.K.) administrations covered everything up, at the expense of several who wanted to speak frankly.

Also of interest is the information on how Khan learned how to make fissile material in the first place. After earning a Ph.D. in metallurgy he went to work with a low-security rating for a Netherlands' consortium that was developing centrifuges for separating fissionable U-235 from yellow-cake - despite coming from a nation known to be seeking nuclear weapons. While there he sought and obtained a position translating German material on a new centrifuge to Dutch and English, thereby providing access to top secret material. The information was split into twelve pieces with the intent of limiting any single person's access to only a few portions; Khan, however, obtained the entire document through offering to get it retyped on site (management had been prepared to send the material back to England for typing; Khan had befriended the secretaries numerous times).

The new gas centrifuges required six foot tall aluminum tubes that were injected with a gas refined from yellow-cake. The heavier U-238 spun to the outside and slid down to a waste pipe; fissionable U-235 gathered at the center and was sucked out while the centrifuges spun at 70,000 rpm. Any sort of imperfection (including a fingerprint) likely led to the centrifuge shattering. (Many Pakistani centrifuges were lost during an earthquake around 2004.) Gaseous diffusion required all pipes and motors be made from nickel and aluminum allows, kept free of grease and oil, and a very large production facility.

Meanwhile, Pakistan's government had been humiliated by India's development of an atomic weapon, and was seeking to build its own. Khan's proposal to create the fissile material through much cheaper centrifuges instead of the much more expensive and complex gaseous diffusion method used by the U.S., China, Russia, and France, was well received, and he headed back to ('75) Pakistan with three suitcases full of stolen documents. He estimated that passing the uranium hexafluoride through centrifuges 65-70 times would provide 90% enriched uranium.

The next year Pakistan began shopping for the needed equipment - a fact noted by U.S. and U.K. intelligence analysts. Carter (anti-proliferation) was lobbied by Brzezinski to turn a blind eye because of Soviet efforts in Afghanistan and possibly Iran. Reagan did likewise. Worse yet, Reagan officials buried awareness of Beijing's gift of bomb blueprints and technical assistance. By Reagan's departure, Pakistan had a tested device ('84), partly also thanks to hundreds of millions of American military assistance to Pakistan's military that was diverted to their nuclear program.

Bush I then cut off aid after the Russians left Afghanistan, spurring Pakistan to make up the shortage with black-market deals in technology.

The final chapter deals with Musharraf's increasingly tenuous position in Pakistan - caught between the increasingly militant internal Taliban and al Qaeda, vs. the U.S. Meanwhile, large amounts of parts and centrifuges from Pakistan have disappeared, and responsible people in the U.S. are worried that Pakistani bombs (or at least working centrifuges) will be obtained by terrorists.

The biggest question of all remains unanswered - "Why didn't the U.S. pursue obtaining information from Khan on the status of Iran's nuclear program, or at least reveal what it did obtain?"

A fascinating account of AQ Khan - self-styled "father" of Pakistan's bomb - and his extraordinary relationship with Pakistan's military rulers, who encouraged him to supply nuclear technology to North Korea, Libya and Iran; then denied that they had any part in the proliferation of nuclear weapons. The authors' central thesis that, successive US administrations ignored the intelligence regarding Pakistan's nuclear programme and lied to Congress in order to obtain funding for Pakistan at the time of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and, more recently, during the 'war on terror' is supported by compelling evidence. A big book - but an easy read - I bought it at an airport and read it on two flights. If (when?) a major US city is destroyed by terrorists using a nuclear bomb, readers of this book will at least have the benefit of knowing whom to blame.

One of the best books I have read on the proliferation of nuclear weapons and WMDs and on the 'Proliferators' specially Pakistan. A telling indictment on the 'World's Policeman':the US and the ones who are at the helm of its affairs and their duplicity when dealing with Pakistan.Of how short-term business goals and business interests have come in the way of a rational, global policy of preventing proliferation of nuclear weapons, and sale of related technology to 'rogue' regimes. A shocking expose of the covert support of the US Administration and its 'don't care' policy to the wheeling-dealing of Pakistan's successive governments and its military and what kind of apocalypse this can lead to, if the weapons fall into the wrong hands !! Unputdownable !!!

Deception; Pakistan, the United States and the Secret Trade in Nuclear Weapons is one of the most compelling current events accounts of recent times. Authors Adrian Levy and Catherine Scott-Clark use their years as leading investigative journalists and their vast knowledge of the topic to create a book that reads like a page-turning gripping thriller instead of a landmark book that questions the history and accounts of the Pakistani nuclear program.

Deception reveals the inner working of United States politics, foreign policy making and the secrets around the trade of nuclear weapons in Pakistan. It's clear to see how complex this issue is and how, without this book, the common American couldn't comprehend its complexities. This is a call to awareness and invites the public to pay attention to the back room meetings of those elected officials that we put in office.

Readers only need to notice the nearly one hundred pages of notes in the back of the book to recognize the level of the in-depth investigation and fact-checking which went into this fiery account of how the West continues to deceive everyone standing on the world's stage. Although it's hard to recognize how balanced the views of the journalists are, they are at the top of their field by every account. They've put their reputations on the line to produce this mind-boggling controversial and revealing chronicle. And it appears they've stayed true to the global reporting code of ethics.

Deception; Pakistan, the United States and the Secret Trade in Nuclear Weapons is a landmark book from a well-respected journalism team. I'd love to see this book incorporated into foreign policy course curriculums globally. We have seen the evidence; it is a book that entertains readers and commands a call to action.

Title: Deception; Pakistan, the United States and the Secret Trade in Nuclear Weapons
Authors: Adrian Levy and Catherine Scott-Clark
ISBN: 978-0-8027-1554-8
Publisher: Walker Publishing Company
Review By: Diana Rohini LaVigne, Indian Life & Style Magazine

The timing was a bit unnerving as I was reading this book, Bhutto was murdered! An eye opener on the history of Pakistan's power struggles. There is just too much to explain here but bottom line --the region's stability is at a very fine balance and if power to the terrorist are able to destabilize Pakistan or if they can get their hands on a nuclear device, it won't be long before the west will see it detonated because they truly believe this is their right. It was hard to put this book down!

a page turner; i could not put this book down. starting with the first attempts of Pakistan trying to obtain information on the construction of a nuclear processing plant, and ending with the still prevalent proliferation of Pakistan to foreign purchaser countries, this book will leave you fascinated beyond belief. unbelievably industrious was the attitude of the scientists working on this project; fatefully unapologetic was this nation to its best and brightest. an almost detailed account on the construction of the processing plant, the evidence laid forth in this book from IAEA investigations to covert intelligence secret knowledge here at home allowed Pakistan to produce a nuclear weapon. a highly recommended read. this book also briefly details Iran's current struggle with proliferation and Libya's attempted go at the nuclear field.

When it comes to NPT, Democracy and Fundamentalism, it has been a known notion that US has always maintained double standards. Even the US media until now looked the other way. That being said, where this books make all the difference is the way it brought credible evidence to show the hypocrisy of the big powers. Adrian and Catherine did an exceptional job in collecting and documenting credible evidence. It is so sad to note that how the rulers and institutions brought havoc to the world peace knowing how difficult it would be to roll back any of these measures. It is a very frightening scenario but still can be resolved only the powers be reconcile to the reality and start a new direction with a steel resolve. May be I am being too optimistic?

This book is must read for anyone who is remotely interested in the modern history of Middle East Asia, focusing on Pakistan.

I would imagine that it would also complement books on the Cold War, where the US-Soviet antagonism spills into Asia, leading to a whole range of disasters that account for conditions in modern day Middle East Asia.

As an Indian, it is shocking to read about fallacious policies adopted by first, the Carter and then blatantly by the Reagan administrations that allowed Pakistan to lay the roots of what would falsely be classified three decades later as the A.Q. Khan proliferation network, all of which has had terrible ramifications for India and which also ultimately led to India's own 9/11 in 2008.

The authors have made a tremendous effort to take you through every stage of the development of Pakistan as a nuclear nation and how it was allowed to progress "under the radar", so as to sponsor "side projects" to train and arm mujahids against the Red Army, that today the whole world knows as the Taliban and more importantly, Al-Qaeda.

It also exposes CIA operations that function as "a nation within a nation"-a chilling real-life rendition of Orwell's 1984, culminating with the total dismantling of Richard Barlow for exposing the fodder of lies that successive governments were feeding Congress in order to continue funding its Cold War program in Afghanistan.

Today, Afghanistan is well on its way to Talibanisation, Pakistan, inspite of its nuclear program, is a failed state, with its economy in shambles and a joke of a democracy, also, well on its way to religious extremism and India is bracing itself everyday for more and more mujahids breaching our borders, ready to wreak havoc. All this, while scores of innocent Kashmiris are dying everyday.

All in all, after reading this book, you will come out with your thoughts in turmoil and eyes wide open!!

Some will argue in favor of this book calling it an honest account of what happened / happens in Pakistan and some will call this book hogwash and propaganda. I believe this book has some semblence of honesty and a fair bit of it could be propaganda but assuming this book is truthful in its assessment - what a tale it is !
Well researched and written with great passion. this book is ideal material for a movie one day.