sep 22, 1979 - The Vela Incident - Ramy Umari C-B

Description:

On September 22, 1979 An American satellite named Vela detected a weird double flash of light over the south atlantic ocean. The flash was very similar to a signal made by a nuclear explosion. Right away, suspicion of a secret nuclear test arose. A lot of experts believed South Africa, working with Israel, may have done the test. However no country officially admitted responsibility for it.

The U.S government tried to investigate the incident but never figured it out. Some people believe this was because it would make political pressure, as confirming a secret nuclear test would have made a lot of international tension. To this day the Bela incident remains a mystery. If it was a nuclear explosion, it would have fully violated the international agreements and increased fear during the Cold War.




Work Cited:

Broad, William J. “Flash From the Past: A Nuclear Mystery.” The New York Times, 3 Oct. 2006.
Burr, William, and Avner Cohen. “Revisiting the 1979 Vela Mystery.” National Security Archive, George Washington University, 2016.

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