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Atomic Thunder: The Maralinga Story
In September 2016 it will be 60 years since the first British mushroom cloud rose above the plain at Maralinga in South Australia. The atomic weapons test series wreaked havoc on Indigenous communities and turned the land into a radioactive wasteland. In 1950 Australian prime minister Robert Menzies blithely agreed to atomic tests that offered no benefit to Australia and relinquished control over them – and left the public completely in the dark. This book reveals the devastating consequences of that decision. This book is the most comprehensive account of the whole saga, from the time that the explosive potential of splitting uranium atoms was discovered, to the uncovering of the extensive secrecy around the British tests in Australia many years after the British had departed, leaving an unholy mess behind.
384 pages, Paperback
Published December 1, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
February 16, 2017
This is a clear-eyed, meticulously researched and powerful account of Australia's long and shameful history of colluding with the UK in permanently contaminating vast tracts of Aboriginal land in South Australia with plutonium, to put it bluntly. After WWII, despite their contributions to the Manhattan Project, the British were excluded from US atomic weapons research for a time because of security concerns (some UK physicists passed nuclear secrets to the Soviet Union).
The UK decided to develop its own atomic weapons, and, unwilling to contaminate their own land, the British asked Australian Liberal PM Robert Menzies if he'd mind if they came and polluted Australia in secret. He was only too thrilled to comply and not only offered to pay some of the costs (the UK had been prepared to pay all the costs) in hopes of Australia being treated as something more than a hewer of wood and bearer of water, as Tynan puts it, but at first kept the program secret not only from the Australian people but from his own cabinet and even from his own Defence Minister and Minister for Supply.
This is Dr Elizabeth Tynan's PhD thesis written up into an excellent history. Tynan, now a senior lecturer at James Cook University, was a journalist and it shows, in a good way, in this book, which is clearly written and handles a complex story with a large cast of characters over a long period of time with seeming ease.
Travelling back in time to the politics of the fifties, when the tests were conducted, and then to the 1980s, when 'Diamond Jim' McLelland conducted the Royal Commission into Maralinga, is fascinating, but the links to our own time are all too clear. The role of investigative journalism is shown to be crucial for anything to come to light: when the Australian media are overly compliant or uninterested, the government gets away with murder.
This book shows how appallingly Aboriginal people and the surrounding environment were treated - the British and Australian bureaucrats, military and scientists knew little or nothing about them and cared less. They didn't care about Australian or British service personnel either, with Tynan showing that even British officers found that details of their service were covered up or lied about once they started to suspect they were getting sick from exposure to radioactive and toxic materials.
The sheer irresponsibility of how the tests were carried out and the utter lack of care taken by the British over their 'clean up' of the site is even more startling, as it didn't even meet the safety and scientific protocols of the time (the Americans were much stricter, Tynan points out). This is an extremely timely book - not only is it vitally important history for every Australian to know but it reminds us never, ever to believe anything the government tells us without some independent corroboration from a fearless and objective media. God help us.
The UK decided to develop its own atomic weapons, and, unwilling to contaminate their own land, the British asked Australian Liberal PM Robert Menzies if he'd mind if they came and polluted Australia in secret. He was only too thrilled to comply and not only offered to pay some of the costs (the UK had been prepared to pay all the costs) in hopes of Australia being treated as something more than a hewer of wood and bearer of water, as Tynan puts it, but at first kept the program secret not only from the Australian people but from his own cabinet and even from his own Defence Minister and Minister for Supply.
This is Dr Elizabeth Tynan's PhD thesis written up into an excellent history. Tynan, now a senior lecturer at James Cook University, was a journalist and it shows, in a good way, in this book, which is clearly written and handles a complex story with a large cast of characters over a long period of time with seeming ease.
Travelling back in time to the politics of the fifties, when the tests were conducted, and then to the 1980s, when 'Diamond Jim' McLelland conducted the Royal Commission into Maralinga, is fascinating, but the links to our own time are all too clear. The role of investigative journalism is shown to be crucial for anything to come to light: when the Australian media are overly compliant or uninterested, the government gets away with murder.
This book shows how appallingly Aboriginal people and the surrounding environment were treated - the British and Australian bureaucrats, military and scientists knew little or nothing about them and cared less. They didn't care about Australian or British service personnel either, with Tynan showing that even British officers found that details of their service were covered up or lied about once they started to suspect they were getting sick from exposure to radioactive and toxic materials.
The sheer irresponsibility of how the tests were carried out and the utter lack of care taken by the British over their 'clean up' of the site is even more startling, as it didn't even meet the safety and scientific protocols of the time (the Americans were much stricter, Tynan points out). This is an extremely timely book - not only is it vitally important history for every Australian to know but it reminds us never, ever to believe anything the government tells us without some independent corroboration from a fearless and objective media. God help us.
September 11, 2018
Finished: 12.09.2018
Genre: non-fiction
Rating: A+++
#AWW2018
Conclusion:
Winner of Australia's Prime Minister's Literary Award 2017 for History
After reading this book....I'm speechless.
Here is why...
Review
Genre: non-fiction
Rating: A+++
#AWW2018
Conclusion:
Winner of Australia's Prime Minister's Literary Award 2017 for History
After reading this book....I'm speechless.
Here is why...
Review
January 10, 2021
This book was hardly a joyful uplifting read it was however an eye-opening one that I am glad I spent time on. This dark part of Australia’s history was not something I was taught at school. Before reading this book I knew of Maralinga but I had no idea of the level of testing that was conducted there and other areas such as Monte Bello Islands, Western Australia and Emu Field, South Australia.
July 25, 2019
An impressive, important and hugely readable piece of work that addresses a significant part of Australian history, science and politics. Tynan makes the atomic tests, political and scientific characters and the geography of Maralinga (and other locations) accessible to the reader without taking shortcuts with the science, technology or personalities involved.
January 11, 2017
How do you review a book that made you so angry?
This is the story of one of the most shameful periods in Australia’s history - when Australia was duped into allowing large areas of the country to be used by the British for atomic tests. After World War II, Britain was desperate to develop nuclear weapons, and its Prime Minister asked Australia – in an act of nuclear colonialism - for the use a chunk of land to carry out tests. Robert Menzies, Australia’s Prime Minister, was an unabashed and servile Anglophile, and would have agreed to anything his colonial masters asked of him. He blithely agreed. The weapons test issue was not even taken to Cabinet.
Dr Tynan has researched this period extensively, and provides great detail about all the tests. Particularly dangerous was the use of plutonium-239, an extremely exceptionally dangerous and long-lived form of plutonium. Tynan describes the breathtakingly careless disregard for safety in all the tests – for example, Australian servicemen had to repeatedly fly through the mushroom clouds from atomic explosions, without protection; and march into ground zero immediately after bomb detonation. Airborne drifts of radioactive material fell over test areas.
This is more than just a straight narrative of those sordid events – Dr Tynan demonstrates how shamefully Australia was used by the British government, and how willing the Australian government was to kowtow to the Mother Country. It was a British show - Australia had no input, received very little information and was fed half-truths and downright lies. The effects on the indigenous population were – and are – devastating. The local people still speak of the “Black Mist.” Most of the mess was left for Australia to clear up, and this was not done well – the site is still radioactive.
The British were obsessed with secrecy, and the book details the coverups surrounding the tests, generally making use of the “national security” excuse. The Australian media were initially willing to cooperate, and it was not until the 1970s that more accurate information became public knowledge as journalists developed greater scientific knowledge and were less willing to accept what they were told. Many documents still have not been released by Britain.
It’s an angry book, but an anger fuelled by facts and research. It was a time when science was disregarded in favour of ego, power and subservience. The cavalier approach to safety, the servility of Australia, led by its Prime Minister, and the obsessive secrecy are issues that outraged Elizabeth Tynan. I felt the same after reading this book.
This is the story of one of the most shameful periods in Australia’s history - when Australia was duped into allowing large areas of the country to be used by the British for atomic tests. After World War II, Britain was desperate to develop nuclear weapons, and its Prime Minister asked Australia – in an act of nuclear colonialism - for the use a chunk of land to carry out tests. Robert Menzies, Australia’s Prime Minister, was an unabashed and servile Anglophile, and would have agreed to anything his colonial masters asked of him. He blithely agreed. The weapons test issue was not even taken to Cabinet.
Dr Tynan has researched this period extensively, and provides great detail about all the tests. Particularly dangerous was the use of plutonium-239, an extremely exceptionally dangerous and long-lived form of plutonium. Tynan describes the breathtakingly careless disregard for safety in all the tests – for example, Australian servicemen had to repeatedly fly through the mushroom clouds from atomic explosions, without protection; and march into ground zero immediately after bomb detonation. Airborne drifts of radioactive material fell over test areas.
This is more than just a straight narrative of those sordid events – Dr Tynan demonstrates how shamefully Australia was used by the British government, and how willing the Australian government was to kowtow to the Mother Country. It was a British show - Australia had no input, received very little information and was fed half-truths and downright lies. The effects on the indigenous population were – and are – devastating. The local people still speak of the “Black Mist.” Most of the mess was left for Australia to clear up, and this was not done well – the site is still radioactive.
The British were obsessed with secrecy, and the book details the coverups surrounding the tests, generally making use of the “national security” excuse. The Australian media were initially willing to cooperate, and it was not until the 1970s that more accurate information became public knowledge as journalists developed greater scientific knowledge and were less willing to accept what they were told. Many documents still have not been released by Britain.
It’s an angry book, but an anger fuelled by facts and research. It was a time when science was disregarded in favour of ego, power and subservience. The cavalier approach to safety, the servility of Australia, led by its Prime Minister, and the obsessive secrecy are issues that outraged Elizabeth Tynan. I felt the same after reading this book.
Read
October 26, 2019This book is a must read for those in Australia who want a fully understanding of what happened in this country in the late 50's early 60's in regard to the treachery of the UK government and the injustice still to those service men and local population who were put in harms way. After WWII the UK decided it would also join the nuclear club. Testing weapons in the UK proper was politically infeasible and thus they cast their eye on Australia. A willing sycophant Prime Minister, Robert Menzies, rolled over and gave the UK whatever they asked, with a hope and a prayer that the UK would then share all they learned with Australia and allow Australia to develop it's own nuclear weapon. This book makes it clear that was never in the card and Australia did little not only to insist on more information, but even to make sure the nuclear weapons tests were cleaned up satisfactorily after a partial test-ban treaty was signed. It took many investigations and a lot of political haggling to finally get the UK to begrudgingly help clean up the mess almost 40 years after the first tests and at that less than half the cost paid. This book lays out the political climate that led to the scenario and how the truth was dug out by a couple of investigative reporters. The site of Maralinga is in the NW corner of South Australia, bordering on the Northern Territory and West Australia. While relatively cleaned up, it is still not completely rid of the contamination, although safe for short visits. Highly recommended.
April 2, 2017
This book starts off slowly. I had been afraid it would be depressing and difficult to endure. But no. At first it it a tale of almost slapstick comedy set in a dull corner of the 1950's, albeit mired in the Cold War and nuclear tensions. But secrets fall out gradually, dripping through the next 30 years. I even attended in 1985 one day of Diamond Jim McClelland's Royal Commission on Maralinga and the contamination left behind by nuclear tests witnessed by Gough Whitlam and selected few others. Of course the nuclear tests in the desert followed on an agreement between Britain and Prime Minister Robert Menzies. And the Royal Commission of 1985 was not the end of the story. In 1993 more details emerged of the radioactive and fissile plutonium-239, 20 kilograms, half life 24,000 years, still resting on or just under South Australian desert sands. Problem not solved. Humanity not safe from other nuclear threats either. The book reaching a conclusion that demands attention.
October 1, 2017
If there is a word that speaks not only of thunder but also of government secrecy, nuclear colonisalism, reckless national pride, bigotry towards Indigenous peoples, nuclear era scientific arrogance, human folly and the resilience of victims, surely that word is Maralinga.
Atomic Thunder: The Maralinga Story is a well-researched and thorough explanation of Britain's nuclear tests in Australia, the secrecy that surrounded those tests and their impacts, and the slow uncovering of some of those secrets. Tynan writes:
But, one by one, the jigsaw pieces fell into place and the Maralinga story started to take shape. The British authorities have still not given up all the missing pieces... This saga tells us, though, that the British authorities charged with testing the nuclear deterrent did not factor in Australian feelings. The truth is unpalatable but must be face: Australia in the 1950s and early 1960s was essentially an atomic banana republic, useful only for its resources, especially uranium and land.
Tynan's book is wide-reaching, looking at the politics behind the decision to allow Britain to test nuclear weapons in some of the remotest parts of Australia, with virtually no information given to the Australian government about the tests. Her research about the personalities involved show that politics is both a macro and a micro process, sometimes coming down to relationships and bad attitudes. She focuses on the impacts of these tests on the Tjarutja Aboriginal people, on the servicemen and labourers who worked at the tests and in the clean-up, and on the land itself. Like the radioactive clouds that spread across the country following some of the tests, the impacts of the tests at Maralinga, Emu Fields and the Monte Bello Islands have a broad reach but are sometimes difficult to clearly measure.
It was interesting and concerning to read this book now, as the threat of nuclear war is more imminent than it has been in decades. Tynan points out more recent versions of government secrecy that affects the lives of everyday people; this isn't just some phenomenon of the 1950s.
March 22, 2022
It is a challenging prospect to take a detailed research thesis and transpose it into a story for the wider audiences. Tynan has done an exceptional job. This book is meticulous in its research and gripping in its story. The negligence of those in leadership who oversaw the nuclear testing in South Australia, the complete disregard for Australian land and its inhabitants, and the drivenness to accomplish nuclear testing despite the dangers posed (risks that would never have been acceptable on British soil)—give more than pause for thought, as does the complete disregard and ingratitude for what Indigenous Australians know intimately as Country. While there were those who went against the grain and put their careers on the line to contest the unlawful and highly problematic testing of nuclear weapons at Maralinga and Emu Field, one wonders what it would have taken to stop such a juggernaut project …
This book is an important reminder of the consequences when human wellbeing is displaced as a priority by leaders and decision-makers; similarly, it warns of the ongoing, sometimes irreversible consequences of negligence. Above all, Tynan's work reminds us that when humankind 'plays' with nuclear weapons, its own fate and the fate of the planet are genuinely at risk.
This book is an important reminder of the consequences when human wellbeing is displaced as a priority by leaders and decision-makers; similarly, it warns of the ongoing, sometimes irreversible consequences of negligence. Above all, Tynan's work reminds us that when humankind 'plays' with nuclear weapons, its own fate and the fate of the planet are genuinely at risk.
February 14, 2022
It is a hard task to write a readable well researched piece of history - I would argue next to impossible when the history is as upsetting, enraging and shameful as the British atomic tests in Central Australia.
Which makes Elizabeth Tynan's brilliantly written and highly researched book, Atomic Thunder so utterly astounding.
After reading this book I couldn't help but reflect how this was similar to the Chernobyl disaster for both the fact of its immense cover up and the complete disregard for the victims and the ignorance and disregard around any kinds of safety for those involved.
It's a chapter of Australian history that has been expertly and sensitively discussed in this amazing book.
Charting the entire history of the event including the long term aftermath - this book should be studied in Australian schools and on the bookshelves of anyone with an interest in Australian history.
If you were engrossed and enraged by the recent television series Chernobyl - this is a must read to understand how the nuclear threat has been mishandled throughout history and across the globe.
Which makes Elizabeth Tynan's brilliantly written and highly researched book, Atomic Thunder so utterly astounding.
After reading this book I couldn't help but reflect how this was similar to the Chernobyl disaster for both the fact of its immense cover up and the complete disregard for the victims and the ignorance and disregard around any kinds of safety for those involved.
It's a chapter of Australian history that has been expertly and sensitively discussed in this amazing book.
Charting the entire history of the event including the long term aftermath - this book should be studied in Australian schools and on the bookshelves of anyone with an interest in Australian history.
If you were engrossed and enraged by the recent television series Chernobyl - this is a must read to understand how the nuclear threat has been mishandled throughout history and across the globe.
September 16, 2020
This book exposed a lot of information that I definitely had no idea of, including how the Australian government covered up nuclear tests conducted by another country. It left me with so many questions about the role of government and press, and I can see clear similarities with how both government and press work today.
There were many moments in this book where I was left feeling angry. How could a government allow this? How could a government not bother to check that the sites were properly cleared off radioactive waste? How could governments and some scientists still lie when the truth is exposed?
But, the main this about this book is the power of the media, when the media is able to do their job - that being investigating and exposing the truth when those in power seek to lie to the public.
The only downside to this book is the telling of the important aspects were sometimes taken over by heavy detail, which may not have been required. Overall, this is an important book to read.
There were many moments in this book where I was left feeling angry. How could a government allow this? How could a government not bother to check that the sites were properly cleared off radioactive waste? How could governments and some scientists still lie when the truth is exposed?
But, the main this about this book is the power of the media, when the media is able to do their job - that being investigating and exposing the truth when those in power seek to lie to the public.
The only downside to this book is the telling of the important aspects were sometimes taken over by heavy detail, which may not have been required. Overall, this is an important book to read.
March 25, 2018
A detailed account of British and Australian organisation? collusion? over the nuclear test program at Maralinga. The book covers from the inception of the Manhatten Program through to about 2015, so it no prior or other understanding is needed. This is such an important story, and I found out much I did not know, including simply the scale of the radiation, and the scale of the Menzies government capitulation to an arrangement it didn't get anything out of. The organisation drove me a little nuts, with material explained in a subsequent chapter to that with which it was introduced, and the chronology jumping around a bit. The emphasis is on the program, why and how it was done, and explaining the particularly lethal Vixen 2 tests in particular. This meets a gap as several other works have looked at the victims, but it felt a little distanced from their perspectives at times.
November 20, 2025
I have been wanting to learn more about the tragedy of Maralinga for a LONG time and this book was well worth the wait. Well written and informative it gives a good account of everything that happened.
December 2, 2017
Extremely well researched book. If you want to know anything about Britain's atomic weapons testing in Australia this is the book to read.
June 30, 2019
Very eye opening and interesting, extremely well researched. 5 stars for content, downgraded to 4.5 as sometimes the structure made it a bit hard to follow. Definitely recommend.
October 16, 2022
Eye-opening account of the effect of the nuclear testing at Maralinga, South Australia. It is not so much a chronological account of what happened, but looks at various aspects in detail, with chapters examining the Australian safety committee that was established to oversee the tests (but hamstrung by lack of information from the British), the nature of media reporting, clean-up following testing and the aftermath on Indigenous people.
Much of this is shocking. As the book describes, much information (but some is still secret) has only been revealed after journalists, in the 1970s, started to question what was actually left behind after testing stopped and a rudimentary clean-up performed.
The book has extensive references.
A note after a second reading: 5 stars. An excellent book.
Much of this is shocking. As the book describes, much information (but some is still secret) has only been revealed after journalists, in the 1970s, started to question what was actually left behind after testing stopped and a rudimentary clean-up performed.
The book has extensive references.
A note after a second reading: 5 stars. An excellent book.
November 8, 2016
A diabolical chapter in Australian history and the UK's race nuclear weaponry. The consequences of those attitudes continue to be felt even today. A must read for history buffs, those interested in veteran affairs and the indigenous communities.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews