RDD

The "terror" effect would come when the individual / group / state responsible for the "event" announced in the media that the trecently-exploded device contained radioactive material / anthrax / bubonic plague / smallpox / ebola virus / AIDS virus / (insert desired "nasty stuff" here) ... and that federal / state / local authorities hadn't found it yet ... much less looked for it. For that matter ... the device wouldn't even need to contain anything ... they'd just have to claim that it did, along with a graphic description of the projected outcome. That would be enough for most folks ... and would more than likely produce the desired amount of terror and confusion.

Jim_Hardeman@mail.dnr.state.ga.us

>>> "Stokes, James" <StokesJ@TTNUS.COM> 7/5/2001 10:40:15 >>>

The concept of using a radioactive dispersal device has been around for over
a hundred years. Jules Vernes used the idea in one of his books. However,
as a terrorist device, it would not work as well. Since No agency or
organization currently surveys for radioactive materials at the seen of an
explosive blast, NO ONE would know it was there, and it would have no
"terror" effect. You can't be afraid of something that you don't know
about.

That folks, is reality.
-----Original Message-----
From: Bernard L Cohen
To: NECNP
Cc: radsafe@list.vanderbilt.edu
Sent: 7/5/01 10:51 AM
Subject: RE: So, is reprocessing in America's future?

On Tue, 3 Jul 2001, NECNP wrote:

> Actually, weapons grade plutonium is needed only to create "clean"
> weapons. One can still get a critical mass from reactor grade
plutonium,
> or barring that one could just use it to contaminate an area. It
would be
> a simple matter for a terrorist to contaminate something like the
elevators
> in the World Trade Center and have the non-weapons grade plutonium
tracked
> all through the buildings shutting them down for a long time. It
really
> doesn't need to be a bomb.

You don't need plutonium for that. Cs-137 or any other
radioisotope would be much more effective than Pu and very easy to
obtain.

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