Unveiling hidden documents: a breakthrough in the struggle for nuclear test veterans' justice
Plus: Stalin, Lola and Mick Herron
In an era where justice often moves at a glacial pace, campaigning journalist Susie Boniface has taken a significant stride towards vindication for a group of men who have served the United Kingdom with exceptional gallantry.
The UK's nuclear test veterans, long mired in a quagmire of governmental evasion and obfuscation, are finally receiving a medal in acknowledgement of their service. Yet, this symbolic gesture hardly scratches the surface of the pressing issue at hand: the long-term health impact of their proximity to the nation's nuclear test programme.
Questionable stance of successive governments
Over the years, countless Ministry of Defence (MoD) ministerial submissions have reported an absence of evidence linking nuclear tests to adverse health effects. Successive governments have conveniently used this lack of definitive data to defer action. However, the burden of proof to secure compensation unfairly lies with the veterans themselves, who must demonstrate an unsafe level of radiation exposure.
Yet one veteran I encountered could vividly recount seeing the bones of his hands through his closed eyes at the moment of the blast. Stories like this underscore the urgent need for substantive investigation into the health ramifications for these men. No wonder veterans have launched a legal action this week.
Official response and records
In a recent correspondence, the former Defence Secretary assured me that there was no prevarication in the government's approach to dealing with these veterans.
Records related to any medical examinations conducted before, during, or after the UK nuclear tests are purportedly stored in individual military medical records held within government archives, he assured me.
Additionally, Veterans UK maintains War Disablement Pension files, which can contain medical reports, service records, and administrative papers that are pertinent to compensation claims.
“I am very clear that any medical records taken either before, during or after participation at the UK nuclear weapon tests would be held in individual military medical records in the Government's archives.
Veterans UK also hold War Disablement Pension files which are created when an individual is either medically discharged or submits a claim for a War Pension. These can contain discharge information, medical reports, service record documentation and various administrative papers.
Case papers, such as additional medical reports and claims, are then added to the file when received. Where these files indicate service in a nuclear test area, they have been set aside from the other war pension files to aid location in the event of a compensation claim.”
Ben Wallace
The unveiling of hidden knowledge
Despite assuring me that veterans can access records, the government has been asserting that scant blood test records exist for these veterans. However, Boniface’s relentless pursuit has led to a breakthrough. Earlier this week, she obtained a list of 150 files, released under the Freedom of Information Act, that implies the government's knowledge on this matter is far more extensive than previously disclosed.
From detailed blood examinations to radiological safety precautions, the scope of the files is substantial. Astonishingly, none of these documents have been transferred to the National Archives or are publicly available. It is highly likely that even ministers are unaware of their existence.
I have requested that these documents be placed in the House of Lords library and will be formally writing to ministers this week, urging them to undertake a comprehensive review. The time for obfuscation and deferral is over. The state owes it to these veterans to bring the truth to light and, where necessary, to make reparations.
While the medal serves as a long-overdue recognition, the struggle for justice for our nuclear test veterans remains far from over. With the unearthing of these hidden documents, perhaps we are finally moving towards a more transparent, and just, resolution.
An extract of the 150 file names revealed by Boniface. No knowledge of blood tests?
Blood Examinations - Personnel - 01/08/1958
Nuclear Weapons Trials Parties - Blood Examinations; Extract from CAFO Issue 17/58 dated 1st August, 1958
Grapple Z Film Badges & blood counts - 02/07/1958Natives at Cundeelee - 13/08/1959
Letter: Info Com. Grapple, Director of Movements. Warning No Unclassified Reply or Reference - 02/07/1958Blood Examinations Personnel Proceeding to Christmas Island - 20/12/1957
Minute Sheet.C.A.F.O 121- Nuclear Weapons Trials Parties -Blood Examinations(D.P.S174/57/M.-20Dec.1957 Minutes Of a Meeting held at AWRE on 15th July, 1958 to discuss Radiological Safety Precautions at Christmas Island - 23/07/1958
From T.P.C Exclusive for Advance Notification is given that before Rehabilitation Of forwarded Area after each Balloon round Blood Counts will be Made On Perssonnel to be Engaged - 07/08/1958
Radiological Safety Precautions for Service Personnel participating in Nuclear Weapon Trials at Christmas Island - 13/08/1958
Letter to with reference to my XY/270/02 of 7th August, R.A.E. now report that their staff already have blood counts before going to Christmas Island and that these are carried out at Cambridge Military Hospital, Aldershot - 01/08/1958
Nuclear Weapons Trials Parties Blood Examinations - 07/08/1958
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Watching
Lola is a quirky little film about LOLA, an early 1940’s machine that can intercept radio and TV broadcasts from the future. Mess with the future and your present goes pear shaped. Worth a watch.
Listening
One disturbing childhood memory is the conversations I had with my paternal grandparents, who were lifelong Stalinists. To them, "Uncle Joe" kept the flame of socialism alive in the world.
Simon Sebag Montefiore's biography of Stalin has been enlightening. The author meticulously explores Stalin's domestic life and personal relationships, offering a nuanced portrayal that goes beyond the dictator stereotype. Montefiore dives into the intricate dynamics within Stalin's close circle, revealing a man who could be tender towards his daughter one moment and ruthlessly order the execution of close allies the next.
This nuanced view has helped me better understand my grandparents, even though I find their reverence for Stalin delusional. To them, communism was a religion, not an economic alternative.
Montefiore's work offers new perspectives on Stalin's political manoeuvres and purges. He frames these through the lens of intimate gatherings, letters, and conversations among Stalin's inner circle, giving a terrifyingly personal dimension to the dictator's rule.
Both Stalin and Putin share a keen appreciation for history. Montefiore's account of the Yalta Conference, where Stalin successfully wielded the Soviet Union's military might to assert control over Eastern Europe, is particularly enlightening. It's worth noting that Putin actions parallel that of Stalin in understanding the strategic use of military force and the value of tactical alliances to achieve geopolitical objectives.
I have recommended this book to my children, as I believe it's essential for them to understand this aspect of history.
Reading
Thriller writer and satirist Mick Herron has exceeded himself again with the Silent Hours. In my life on the political frontline I had some very serious jobs. The subject matter of my intray frequently involved national security. Yet most days that went by, left me laughing inwardly at the farcical Whitehall and Westminster intrigues that underpinned my day job.
Herron captures the satire of power rather brilliantly. I notice that he has recently assumed the mantle of Britain’s next thriller writer to be compared to John Le Carre. I can see the parallels, but to me he is as much the heir to Len Deighton and CP Snow as he is to Le Carre. I love his books and I don’t know anyone who has read him who is equally impressed. In this stand-alone book, set in the same worlds as the Slough House series, Herron is more confident in his real world observations. Here he is describing the fictious politicians on a inquiry:
“Shirin Mansoor, a northern constituency Labour MP who had weathered thirty-two years in the Commons, was regarded by all who had never worked with her as a reliable operator, while Guy Fielding and John Moore, backbenchers both, were experienced committee sitters, happy to make up the numbers whenever warm buttocks were required on padded seats, provided the padding also applied to the expense accounts. That neither had ever troubled Hansard much was presumably a tribute to how carefully they weighed each thought before putting it into utterance.”
Herron has a unique ability to playfully observe political intrigue, personal redemption, and the ethical quandaries faced by individuals working within intelligence agencies. One of the standout elements of Herron's writing is his ability to depict the bureaucracy and inefficiency within the British intelligence services, contrasting sharply with the traditional, glamorous portrayals of spy work.
If you’ve not yet read Mick Herron, you should. I’m an addict.