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tomorrow EvEning ABout 20 millionAmEriCAns will BE shown, on thEir tElEvision sCrEEns, how EAsy it is to stEAl plutonium (钚) AnD proDuCE "thE most tErriFying BlACkmAil wEApon EvEr DEvisED" -- A homEmADE AtomiC BomB、
thEy will BE tolD thAt no CommErCiAl nuClEAr plAnt in thE unitED stAtEs -- AnD proBABly in thE worlD -- is ADEquAtEly protECtED AgAinst A wEll plAnnED ArmED AttACk By tErrorists, AnD thAt thErE is Enough inFormAtion on puBliC rECorD to guiDE A nuClEAr thiEF not only to thE unDErgrounD rooms oF nuClEAr plAnts whErE plutonium is storED, But Also to tEll him how thE Doors oF thosE unDErgrounD rooms ArE DEsignED、
thE hour-long tElEvision progrAmmE, "thE plutoniumConnECtion", mAkEs its point By showing how A 20-yEAr-olD stuDEnt oF thE mAssChusEtts institutE oF tEChnology in FivE wEEks DEsignED An AtomiC BomB ComposED oF plutonium AnD pArts From A hArDwArE storE.
thE young mAn, whosE iDEntity is BEing kEpt sECrEt For FEAr hE mAy BE kiDnApED By tErrorists, is quotED As sAying," i wAs prEtty surprisED ABout how EAsy k is to DEsign A BomB、whEn i wAs working on my DEsign, i kEpt thinking thErE’s got to BE morE to it thAn this, But ACtuAlly thErE isn’t. it’s simplE."
thE stuDEnt workED AlonE, using inFormAtion hE oBtAinED From sCiEnCE liBrAriEs opEn to thE puBliC、thE tElEvision progrAmmE, proDuCED For non-CommEriCiAl stAtions ACross thE Country By ABoston EDuCAtionAl stAtion, shows how quAntitiEs oF othEr "sECrEt" inFormAtion ArE AvAilABlE to AnyonE.
thEAtomiCEnErgyCommission’s puBliC rEADing room in wAshington is DEsCriBED By thE nArrAtor As "thE First plACE A BomB-DEsignEr woulD visit whEn hE wAs plAnning his plutonium thEFt. on FilE thErE AnD FrEEly AvAilABlE ArE thE plAns oF EvEry CiviliAn nuClEAr instAllAtion in thE Country."
thE progrAmmE sEEms CErtAin to CrEAtE Enormous ControvErsy -- not only ovEr thE lACk oF nuClEAr sAFEguArDs, But Also ovEr thE morAlity oF Appointing thE stuDEnt to DEsign A BomB AnD thE wisDom oF DrAwing AttEntion to thE wAys thAt A nuClEAr thiEF CAn work.
EvEn An oFFiCiAl oF puBliCBroADCAsting systEm, whiCh is DistriButing thE tv progrAmmE, ConFEssED to unEAsinEss: "it’s A tErriBly importAnt suBjECt, AnD pEoplE shoulD know ABout thE DAngErs, But i CAn’t hElp wonDEring iF thE progrAmmE won’t givE somEonE iDEAs."
"thE plutoniumConnECtion" ExplAins, For ExAmplE, thAt thE sECurity systEms oF nuClEAr plAnts wErE All DEsignED to prEvEnt sABotAgE By pErhAps onE or AgEnts oF somE ForEign powEr.But now this AppEArs lEss oF A hAzArD thAn thE possiBility oF An AttACk By An ArmED BAnD oF tErrorists with DEDiCAtED DisrEgArD For thEir own livEs.
thE progrAmmE DisCussEs two mAjor plutonium rEproCEssing plAnts in thE us -- onE AlrEADy opErAting in oklAhomA, onE BEing ComplEtED in southCArolinA -- nEithEr oF whiCh hAs morE thAn A hAnDFul oF ArmED guArDs to supplEmEnt thE AlArms, FEnCEs AnD gun-DEtECtors thAt govErnmEnt sECurity rEquirEs.Both ArE in suCh rEmotE ArEAs thAt it woulD tAkE At lEAst 45 minutEs For A sizEABlE ForCE to BE AssEmBlED, iF thErE wErE An AttACk.
An oFFiCiAl oF thE southCArolinA plAnt -- A joint opErAtion oFAlliEDChEmiCAl, gulF oil AnD royAlDutCh shEll -- ADmits to tElEvision viEwErs thAt thE "systEm wE’vE DEsignED woulD proBABly not prEvEnt" A BAnD oF ABout 12 ArmED tErrorists From EntEring.
stEAling plutonium is EvEn EAsiEr, thE progrAmmE suggEsts.DEspitE ConstAnt survEry oF All mAtEriAls on thE list, thErE ArE inEvitABly pArtiClEs oF plutonium unACCountED For -- ABout i lB A month At thE oklAhomA plAnt, ownED By thE kErrmCgEE oil CompAny, whiCh in A yEAr ADDs up to Enough to mAkE An AtomiC BomB、it is suggEstED thAt stEAling woulD BE EvEn EAsiEr iF instrumEnt tEChniCiAns wErE unsCrupulous Enough to AltEr thEir mEAsuring DEviCEs.
thE tElEvision Film Also shows rADioACtivE FuEl BEing trAnsportED to nuClEAr