The Sum of All Fears.pdf - Delta Force

'Back to Germany.'
'Yes. Of the people we suspect were part of the DDR bomb project, three are
unaccounted for. All three men and their families are gone. The rest have found
other work. Two could possibly be involved in nuclear research with weapons
applications, but again, how does one tell? Where is the dividing line between
peaceful physics and weapons-related activity? I do not know.'
'The three missing ones?'
'One is definitely in South America. The other two are merely missing. I am
recommending that we launch a major operation to examine what's happening in
Argentina.'
'What about the Americans . . .' Golovko mused.
'Nothing definite. I expect they're as much in the dark as we are.' The colonel
paused. 'It is difficult to see how they would have an interest in wider
proliferation of nuclear weapons. It's contrary to their government policy.'
'Explain Israel, then.'
'The Israelis obtained nuclear material from the Americans over twenty years
ago, plutonium from their Savannah River plant, and enriched uranium from a
depot in Pennsylvania. In both cases the transfers were apparently illegal. The
Americans themselves launched an investigation. They believe that the Israeli
Mossad pulled off one of the greatest operations in history, aided by Jewish
American citizens in sensitive positions. There was no prosecution. What
evidence they had came from sources that could not be revealed in court, and it
was deemed politically inadvisable to reveal security leaks in so sensitive a
government activity. Everything was handled quietly. The Americans and Europeans
have been lax in selling nuclear technology to various countries – capitalism at
work, there is a huge amount of money involved – but we made the same mistake
with China and Germany, did we not? No,' the colonel concluded. 'I do not
believe the Americans have any more interest in seeing German-made nuclear
weapons than we do.'
'Next step?'
'I don't know, General. We've run all our leads down as well as we can without
risk of detection. I think we need to took at activity in South America. Next,
some careful inquiries within the German military establishment to see if there
is any indication of a nuclear program there.'
'If there were, we'd have known by now.' Golovko frowned. 'Good Lord, did I
really say that? What delivery systems are likely?'
'Aircraft. There is no need for ballistic launchers. From Eastern Germany to
Moscow is not all that far. They know our air-defense capabilities, don't they?
We left enough of our equipment behind.'
'Pyotr, just how much more good news will you leave me this afternoon?'
The colonel smiled very grimly indeed. 'Nu, and all those Western fools are
rhapsodizing about how safe the world has become.'
***
The sintering process for the tungsten-rhenium was simplicity itself. They used
a radio-frequency furnace much like a microwave oven. The metallic powder was
poured into a mold and slid into the furnace for heating. After it became
dazzlingly white hot – unfortunately not hot enough actually to melt the