In 1974, which country detonated its first nuclear weapon, becoming the 6th nation to do so?

"Smiling Buddha", Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) was the assigned code name of India's first successful nuclear bomb test on 18 May 1974. The bomb was detonated on the army base Pokhran Test Range (PTR), in Rajasthan, by the Indian Army under the supervision of several key Indian generals. The device was formally called the "Peaceful Nuclear Explosive".

The device was detonated on Buddha Jayanti (a festival day in India marking the birth of Gautama Buddha). Indira Gandhi maintained tight control of all aspects of the preparations of the "Smiling Buddha" test, which was conducted in extreme secrecy; besides Gandhi, only advisers Parmeshwar Haksar and Durga Dhar were kept informed. Scholar Raj Chengappa asserts the Indian Defence Minister Jagjivan Ram was not provided with any knowledge of this test and came to learn of it only after it was conducted. Swaran Singh, the Minister of External Affairs, was given 48 hours advance notice. The Indira Gandhi administration employed no more than 75 civilian scientists while General G. G. Bewoor, Indian army chief, and the commander of Indian Western Command were the only military commanders kept informed.

More Info: en.wikipedia.org

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13 Comments

Susan Madanat

And India is given millions in foreign aid!

JRW

Susan Madanat, in the last three years, India has provided more aid to foreign countries, than it has received.

Peter Abrams

Susan Madanat, The supplying of the first Candu reactor to India was of course planned to provide them with their own power source to enable them to develop their own industrial base. It was believed this action would ultimately make them less reliant on foreign aid.

Peter Abrams

I know I met and had dinner with two Pakistani engineers on my sixteenth birthday here in my home town of Port Hope Ontario. They were seconded to the local nuclear fuel fabrication plant while they learned how we manufactured Candu fuel bundles for Canadian reactors. This would have been fall of 1966.

Ben

That test of smiling Buddha, would force Pakistan to test its own nuclear bomb the Chagai-l code name on may 28 1998. China's supply of nuclear reactor in 1993 for chashma nuclear power plant helped to achieve it. Pakistan's second nuclear test, Chagai-ll followed on may 30, 1998.

catmom

Satish Chandran, As a Buddhist I was extremely surprised @ this especially of all people, Indira Gandhi & the name "Smiling Buddha" is chilling & very hypocritical.