Over at the Substack:
The point is that the honey trap does exist. And for the “black market” in nuclear metals and bomb making materials – as nuclear and bomb making materials that is, not as scrap into other industries – the only market that really does exist is the honey trap one.
It’s not that someone trying to sell you a bomb is dodgy, it’s that someone trying to buy one from you started their career eating donuts on an all night watchout.
So the advice is, if you’re looking for a career as a Yakuza nuclear bomb trader, then don’t. The career opportunity simply doesn’t exist.
By the way, if you’ve got some of those 10 metre zirconium/niobium tubes, seamless, then I’m interested. 1.1% Nb, 2.5% Nb, no matter. Even just the offcuts and scrap actually. Starting bid might be about $4 a kg. But if it is the tubes, neatly packed, unused, then could you make sure you drive a tank over them first? I really do want them only for the scrap value, that’s the only valuation that keeps us all out of jail.
The point is that the honey trap does exist. And for the “black market” in nuclear metals and bomb making materials – as nuclear and bomb making materials that is, not as scrap into other industries – the only market that really does exist is the honey trap one.
In hindsight, we got very lucky when the USSR peacefully fell apart without firing its missiles or selling the warheads on the black market. Not sure we’d get similarly lucky if the USA or France dissolves.
Have you seen the film “Oppenheimer”? I wouldn’t bother if you haven’t. There are many fascinating stories about Tube Alloys, the Manhattan Project, and Teller’s Super. The film tells you none of those stories, in favour of boring drama surrounding a dead fish protagonist whose personality never achieves critical mass.
A much better Oppenheimer film was the BBC Horizon docudrama from 1979, complete with wooden one-seat sets and non-moving scenery outside train carriages. Track it down if you can.
Ooo! found it!
I have a load of this powder stuff that sats “Yellowcake” on the bag. I thought that I could use it to make a Battenberg or Lemon Drizzle. It’s useless, might put it on the garden instead.
I have you seen the film “Oppenheimer”.
My favourite bit was when Barbie went from her world to the real world. I admit, though, I was expecting more nuclear explosions.
One can snark at the the film if one wants.
But it cost $100 million to make, and took $960.2 million at the box office.
Talk about making a bomb!
CJ Nerd – I don’t want to snark at the film. It was competently made, but so was Ridley Scott’s Napoleon. Unfortunately both filmmakers took an interesting subject, and then made boring films about it.
Oppenheimer wasn’t a very interesting man, but he did some very interesting things, so I was hoping to see more about the science and engineering of Los Alamos, and less about Oppy bickering with bureaucrats over his security clearance.
Andrew – The best bit was when President Harry S Truman said “Come on, Oppy, Let’s Go Bomby!”
And the Japs went “Ah Ah Ah, No!”
Come to think of it, the bit where half the science team wants to quit making the Bomb because Germany surrendered was one of the few times the film hints at the more interesting stuff going on while Cilian Murphy looks blandly at the camera.
Many of them were hot to nuke German women and children, but far less interested in helping the United States defeat Japan. What the Fuchs?
Jgh – Great find!