Home >
France becomes 4th atomic power in 1960...
France becomes 4th atomic power in 1960...
Item # 720509
February 13, 1960
LEOMINSTER DAILY ENTERPRISE, Mass., Feb. 13, 1960
* France atomic bomb test (1st)
* "Gerboise Bleue" in Algeria
* Nuclear weapons program
The top of the front page has a six column headline: "France Explodes Atom Bomb, Boosts Status As World Power" with subhead. (see images)
Complete with 8 pages, light toning at the margins, minor spijne wear, generally in very nice condition.
background: France became an atomic power on February 13, 1960, when it conducted its first successful nuclear test, “Gerboise Bleue,” in the Sahara Desert near Reggane in French-controlled Algeria. The bomb, with an estimated yield of 70 kilotons, was more than three times as powerful as the one dropped on Hiroshima, marking France as the fourth nation to develop nuclear weapons after the United States, the Soviet Union, and the United Kingdom. The test was the culmination of years of secret research and development initiated after World War II and accelerated under the leadership of President Charles de Gaulle, who viewed nuclear independence as essential to France’s sovereignty and global influence. Despite international criticism and growing anti-nuclear sentiment, the explosion symbolized a new era for French military and scientific capability, laying the foundation for the country’s “force de frappe” (strike force), an independent nuclear deterrent that became a cornerstone of France’s defense policy throughout the Cold War.
Category: The 20th Century
Available Now
$48.00
