LOS ANGELES TIMES, July 7, 1977 

* Operation Fulcrum bomb test
* Nevada Test Site (NTS)

The front page has a nice banner headline: "Neutron Bomb Tested!" with subhead. (see mages) Nice for display.
Complete 1st section only with all 22 pages, nice condition.

Background: The 1977 neutron bomb underground evaluations conducted beneath the Nevada Test Site (NTS) during Operation Fulcrum represent a rare, highly specialized chapter in Cold War nuclear history, uniquely defined by weapon design that prioritized lethal radiation over blast destruction. The notable content of these tests focused on refining the W70 Mod 3 warhead—a tactical Enhanced Radiation Weapon (ERW) engineered to emit high-energy prompt fusion neutrons capable of penetrating enemy armor while leaving nearby physical infrastructure largely intact. What made the 1977 NTS test series particularly rare was both its technical execution and its explosive public footprint: unlike standard thermonuclear blasts engineered for high yields, these sub-kiloton and low-yield devices were buried hundreds of feet deep in Yucca Flat's volcanic soil, relying on precise diagnostic cabling to capture neutron output without venting. Furthermore, the tests triggered unprecedented geopolitical fallout after a June 1977 budget leak exposed the weapon's development, converting the obscure desert detonations into an international political crisis. The resulting public outrage—critics denounced the device as the "ultimate capitalist weapon" for killing people while sparing property—led directly to anti-nuclear protests at the NTS gates and ultimately prompted President Jimmy Carter to defer production in 1978, rendering the 1977 Nevada tests a rare instance where underground trial data directly reshaped global defense policy and presidential strategy.