Tom Clancy as Nuclear Expert

["William G. Nabor" <wgnabor@uci.edu>]

RADSAFERS:

   I was surprised to see some members of this listserver citing
Tom Clancy as an expert on things nuclear.  Clancy is a wonderful
author and his books are among the most entertaining ever written
(my opinion, obviously).  However, he is an author of fiction.
Sometimes his research stops just short of what's necessary to
provide an accurate picture of the real world.

   Perhaps Sandy Perle would care to comment on the technique of
developing film badges in the head (bathroom) of a nuclear
submarine (_Hunt for Red October_).

  As for _The Sum of All Fears_, I would like to know where I can
buy a gamma counter with a beta channel that can detect tritium in
a sample with a gamma background so intense that it has to be
transported in a lead pig to prevent injury to humans.

   None of Mr. Clancy's nuclear inaccuracies detract from the sheer
enjoyment of his stories.  None of them are critical to the plot
and we can overlook them with a clear conscience.  However, I urge
caution in citing Clancy as a nuclear expert.
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William G. Nabor
University of California, Irvine
EH&S Office
Irvine, CA,  92697-2725
WGNABOR@UCI.EDU
mailto:wgnabor@uci.edu
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