Future Outlook and Call to Action

Fellllow conspiracy realists, we are returning with a classic episode. This is a story. A lot of people in the United States haven't heard of The story of the Marshall Islands That's right. The Republic of the Marshall Islands is a super small, remote island about halfway between Hawaii and Australia. And there have been some nefarious goings on. historically speaking, that took place on that island Yeah, mly nukes. Yes. Lots Ls of nukes Yeah, as the world entered the atomic age, Uncle Sam realized it needed a place sort of away from the press to test its's new weaponry And they needed a place where they would not be beholden to or accountable for the consequences of their actions. So way back in twenty twenty one We looked into something we like to call mystery, mayhem and nukes, the story of the Marshall Islands Let's roll the ta This is an IHart podcast. guuaranteed human Alienwears Back to School event is the perfect time to score top gaming gear with incredible features and advanced engineering to go beyond performance Start your Alienware journey with the Alienware fifteen Gaming laptop, featuring Intel core processors Oh yeah, game, live stream and multitask for hours on end. Pair your incredibly smooth gaming experience with immersive visuals and sound by saving on sleek alienware monitors, headsets, and more This limited time sale awaits you now at alienware d. com slash deals You know, we've all tumbled down an internet rabbit hole, trying to self diagnose, and it usually leaves us more anxious than informed Our feeds are full of wellness trends, but how do we know it's real? What's exaggerated? and what's just wrong? Health versus hype from the American Medical Association. They break it all down with the Emy nominated science communicator Trace Dominguez. who talks to doctors, influencers and real people trying theses friends, not to cancel them, but to understand them. Because when it comes to your health, who you listen to matters Soe listen to health versus Hype wherever you find your favorite shows. Ggo presents a thirty second podcast between your podcast. Today's story is shared by one of our listeners. It's called Betrayed by Bill It was in that moment I caught who was staring back at me in betrayal, or more like what? My insurance bill. With trembling hands, I grabb my phone and switched to Geio, saving about nine hundred dollars in the process, and never to be betrayed again Now that was bloody riveting. It feels good when the story ends with savings. It feels good to Gaeiko guysys, Stuff at sea is a five nights adults only sailing trip that brings the Stuff podcast universe to life onbard. This voyage is a culture soaked to escape where pink sand paradise meets curious minds, like ours sailing round trip from New York City to Bermuda on october second through the seventh, twenty twenty six. This voyage drops you straight into the Iheart podcast stuff universe. Also'll be there too, so let's hang out. And on top of the adults only experience you already love, you'll get live podcast episode recordings behind the scenes sessions, themed activations and more unmissable onboard moments. Learn more at virginVoyages d. com slash stuff. From UFOs to psychic powers and government conspiracies, history is riddled with unexplained events. You can turn back now or learn the stuff they don't want you to know uction of IiHarR radio Hello, and welcome back to the show. My name is Matt. My name is Nul. They call me Ben. We're joined as always with our super producer, Paul Mission Control Deent. Most importantly, you are you, you are here, and that makes this stuff they don't want you to know Today's story is a traragic Continuing Sga and spoiler alert It is a story that does not at this point have an ending. However, we feel it is important for more people to be aware of this Conspiracy, this cover up, this semi apocalyptic series of very unfortunate events. this story comes to us, folks. courtesy of one of your fellow listeners who left us a message. Oh God, Matt was Was it twenty nineteen? Oh no, Ben. this actually came from twenty twenty this year and we just want to say thank you, anonymous teacher. We would be playing your voicemail right now, but you asked us not to. Well, we did we did of course, play it for ourselves as a group. But as we always say, you know, we want to respect people's wishes for privacy. We didn't think you sound scatterrained at all for th. An anonymous teacher You raised a very interesting point. You also did something that I love to hear, which is you mentioned some of your own research in this matter, in the story of the Marshall Islands. Now a lot of people have probably heard of the Bikini Aoll, especially if you're interested in the history of nuclear testing, nuclear revolution there's a larger, much larger story at play here And to explore this story, we have to first explore the Marthall Islands themselves, which are going to be unfamiliar with a lot of people in the U. S, especially if have you don't have any relatives in the military or you haven't yourself been a part of the military. So here are The facts. The Marthall Islands are remote Oh man. You thoughtving driving for a long weekend at a cabin in the mountains was a hassle. Just look at all the stuff you have to do to get from where you are now, wherever you're listening to this all the way out to the Marshall Islands. They are about halfway between Hawaii and Australia, like right near the equator And although it's one sovereign country now as of nineteen seventy nine, it's really to two kind of parallel chains, very of a lot of very small very small plots of land is considered what's called an associated state of the U. S. That means that since its cononstitution and independence in nineteen seventy nine, it's a sovereign country, but it has a formal veryer distinct, unique relationship with the United States. and we're going to find out exactly why in this episode. I don't know why I'm laughing This is this is a terrible thing And even though it's a pretty big area of ocean and island Population wise, it's a very small place. That's right. An estimated fifty eight thousand four hundred and thirteen human souls live in this region spread out across twenty nine coral atolls and they're called that because they' They're almost like, Mini islands? L I mean, when you look at them on an aerial view, they really just look like tiny little specks. And these atolls are composed of one thousand one hundred fifty six individual islands or islets mostost live in the capital called Madjuro. And it's beautiful. You know, we're talking about crystal blue waters, you know, island paradise type getaways. It's incredibly remote, very low crime rate and for many, many years, thousands of years, was the kind of place where you could kind of go and live a life off the grid like Robinson Caruso style. Unfortunately, due to a series of unfortunate events, lemony Snakeet style This is no longer the case Right. Yeahah, this place has a long history of human occupation Dating back to at least the second millennium BCE and As the world and the countries in the world became increasingly connected in the modern era, More and more governments But either half a world away or you know, closer to that Pacific region, they became interested, intensely interested in controlling the territory we know as the Republic of the Marshall Islands today. As far back as nineteen fourteen, Japan was interested. They were building bases, military bases on the islands. And then if you fast forward through the bloody events of World War II in the Pacific Theater there You'll see that after the United States defeated Japanese troops in the area, They turned to a tolls of the Marshall Islands into military bases themselves. So it's kind of like There are two there are two things fighting, but neither of them have the concerns of the native people at the front of their mind. No, it's a strategic place to be If you've got naval forces, it's a strategic place to be. and it's also strategic if you need to be isolated for some reason away from larger populations. Ding ding ding. Yeah. and consider just the resupply value it offers too. So in nineteen forty seven The islands due to action by the UN, the islands become part of something called the trust territory of the Pacific Islands. There's still not a country This was like the UN's idea officially This trust territory is administered, cough cough controlled cough cough by the United States. This is Uncle Sam's newew Island paradise, if you will These kind of territory grabs, we should know suuper common in any post war era you go back to the first battles, humans fought. There was usually a territory grab afterwards, and it was often about territory, no matter what kind of ideology they put over it. This happens for a number of reasons. One, as you pointed out, Matt to gain control of a strategic point, either for shipping purposes economic purposes, you could say, or to plan for future wars, future areas that we could w wage a good offense from or areas that we could easily defend. And then of course, the big badger in the bag of every war ever Claims to local resources. Every war you have seen fought or read about is a is about getting stuff from other people, no matter how it's phrased. this makes the Marshall Islands trust territory Very strange in human history because the U. S did have a plan for this region I didn't want to take anything Instead They wanted to leave something something terrible behind Here's where it gets crazy Yeah what they wanted to leave behind was indeed something terrible is a byproduct of nuclear testing as described by Tony DBrom, the former Minister of Foreign Affairs and health In nineteen forty six, the US Navy pulled into the lagoon of the Bikini Aoll and told the one hundred and sixty seven people that were living there at the time they were going to use this land as a testing site. for nuclear weaponry. They were direct in how they approached these individuals, but at the same time, was something it was like a stick, almost. they'd done it before. The group phrased their conversation in such a way almost like you would with something like eminent domain, where it's like, let us buy you out, let us help you, help us, et cetera. They phrased it in terms of, quote, seeking permission But they couched the mission as something that was the will of God Hself and would ultimately benefit all mankind. You can't argue with God and the benefit of all mankind, I would say. It was a sacrifice they were asking these people to make for the future safety of the entire world. so these a small number of people admittedly took off They evacuated it They did And now remember here, we're talking about a series of islands that make up this thing that we call the Marshall Islands or the Republic of the Marshall Islands And they went to one One little toll and kicked people off. to do nuclear testing, which, as we all know has a bit of an area of effect. It's for the greater good though. Yeah Rump for rump for rump. the greater good. Well, as an end result of this re prettyt disingenuous approach I We learned that between nineteen forty six, all the way up to nineteen fifty eight, the United States ended up conducting no less than sixty seven documented nuclear tests in the Marshall Islands. This is just the nuclear test The U.S. conducted about twenty three of these tests at Bikinia attoll And then forty four near another atoll and a watak the fallout your point about the area of of effect. The fallout spread everywhere. It spread throughout the Marshall Islands. And when we say we say test, we're not talking about The nuclear equivalent of popping an M eighty or a flashbank the overall yield of these tests due to one curve busting monstrous bomb. The overall yield of these nuclear tests has been estimated to be to work out to an average of One point seven Hiroshima level detonations every day for twelve years. So this is serious This is unending Hiroshima if you look at the way this is this can be averaged across the span of testing. And now With the benefit of retrospect, we know much more about the test than people did during the time. Even the people living there, by the way, who in some cases were not evacuated when the testing began So we're going to pause for a word from our sponsors and then we'll return. We're going to dive deep into the timeline and the specifics of these tests and why they matter. today This is Janna Kramer from Wind Down with Janna Kramer. So why do they call it a dishwasher? Well, don't worry, it's not a trick question or anything. It's just because it washes dishes If the filter and the dishwasher itself are dirty, those dishes aren't actually getting clean. That's why you need Cascade Platinum pllus. powered by two times the cleaning power of Dawn, Cascade Platinum pllus doesn't just remove one hundred percent of grease and residue from dishes, it cleans your dishwasher and filter too. So you get clean dishes and a dishwasher that keeps washing. just scrape, load and done Find Cascade Platinum pllus at your local retailer Cascade is a proud sponsor of the Elton John Imact Awards, honoring those who have helped shape a more inclusive and compassionate world with their artistry, advocacy, and unwavering commitment to equality. Cascade would like to take this opportunity to congratulate all of this year's deserving honorees. Don't miss the Elton John Impact Awards podcast available on june first on the I Heart radio app Everywhere podcasts are heard. Gigo presents a thirty second podcast between your podcast Today's story is shared by one of our listeners. It's called Betrayed by Bill It was in that moment I caught who was staring back at me in betrayal, or more like what? My insurance bill. And with trembling hands I grabbed my phone and switched to Geio, saving about nine hundred dollars in the process, and never to be betrayed again Now that was bloody riveting. It feels good when the story ends with savings. It feels good to Gaeiko Alienwa's Back to schoolool event is the perfect time to score top gaming gear with incredible features and intel core processors to go beyond performance save big on gaming desktops, laptops, and more. Start your Alienware journey with the AlienWare fifteen Gaming laptop featuring Intel core processors smoothly game, live stream and multitask for hours on end Plus, play through every game exactly how you want with the customizable alien FX lighting across your alienware ecosystem creating your very own gaming profile and more. And finally, you can pair your incredibly smooth gaming experience with immersive visuals and sound by saving on sleek alienware monitors, headsets, and more. This limited time sale awaits you now at alienware dot com slash deals That's alienware dot com slash deals If you ever wanted to feel what it's like inside an episode of a show you love, hang with podcast hosts beyond the mic, or maybe swap screens for sunsets with curious like minded people, then Stuff at Sea is your kind of voyage. Stuff at Sea is a five night culture soaked escape where pink sand paradise meets curious minds Sailing round trip on october second through seventh, twenty twenty six from New York City to Bermuda. This voyage drops you straight into the IHart podcast's Stuff Universe On top of the adults only experience you already love, you'll get live podcast episode recordings behind the scenes sessions, themed activations, and more unmissable onbard moments. I want to spoil it, but just come hang out. With overnight stays in Bermuda, there's no rush, just long sun drenched days to explore or do absolutely nothing at all. Back on board, curiosity sparks connection through conversations, experiences and a lineup designed to keep things as thought provoking as they are unforgettable Stuff att Sea is a part of our new specialty sailing collection that transforms beloved podcasts into immersive at sea experiences, exclusively with Virgin Voyages So, expect more stories, more hosts, and more ways to experience the voices you love. Book now at virginvoyages dot com slash stuff. Okay, and we're back. We are still in the Republic of the Marshall Islands, at least in the present day, that's what it's known as. And we're going to talk about something called Operation Crossroads. And that's what we've been discussing here, the nuclear tests at the Bikini Atoll and the Enawak Atoll. Why would you do nuclear testing there? We know that the United States had like around that time in the forties had been testing nuclear weapons on American soil out there near Nevada in the testing grounds there and pererhaps in a couple other places But you know, why would you go out to a remote island to do this testing? Well, one of the main reasons was because the military machine wanted to know what happens to a naval vessel when a nuclear explosion occurs How far away does it have to be to have any kind of effect? What are the effects in general? and all these other questions that I'm sure some some general had in their mind or some admiral who wanted to know what was going to happen in the future when a nuke went off near his vessel. Now I would imagine at a base level, secrecy was very important here too, right Sure, yeah, you don't want the American public and to a degree the Marshalese public to be able to raise a hand and say, Hey, this is crazy. We live in this area the There are a couple other advantages that were nearby military bases This area is also, you know, this is pre satellite surveillance nets. So this area is also more difficult for enemy forces to to observe, right? Everybody's going to sense or figure out a nuclear detonation of this size. It's kind of a disturbance in the force vibe this level of energy But they also They also were doing a nimbie thing And everybody knows that abbreviation, not in my backyard The Trinity test did take place in the Heartland of America or the North American continent ood Now that we have discovered the process to make a nuclear bomb, We want to build better ones, we have to realize that post nineteen forty five peopleople are in post World War II, really The U. S. public is going to start asking increasingly difficult questions about why we're blowing up stuff in our own country. So Not just the generals, but the policy wonks And Congress wanted to get in front of this thing And that's when they said, you know, we've got this place. We can go nuts here This is this is the nuclear testing equivalent of Vegas, baby. Roll the dice, drop the bombs. And that's exactly what they did Ben I asked you off Mike, you know, if we talked about this place being like an island paradise, et cetera, with such a low population, and my question was were these Are these transplants from other South Pacific nations or are they, would you consider these indigenous people? I think the answer is a bit of both, but largely it is they are indigenous people, correct? Yeah, yeah. They Marshallise culture is part of the wider culture of micronesia. And if you look at the history of Marshall' culture, I don't know, we kind of this is a little off topic, but I'm going somewhere with this We all have friends in New York. and If you're not from New York or even if you are from the Big Apple, you're well aware that New York has this weird about when one can be called a local, right? and not just a tourist. What's the threshold? Is it like eight years or something? Oh gos. I don't know the actual official number, but it's certainly more than a couple. Yeah Yeah. And so So there's it seems like that's a microcosmic equivalent of the larger question, which is When do people become considered indigenous people, right? We know that with most continents and land masses in the world, there was a migration at some point in ancient history So as far as the question of indigenous You know, the people who live in the Marshall Islands have a very close relationship with the land. and the sea forms part of the community and part of the culture and it looks like They were part of I said the second millennium BC, it looks like they were part of that larger wave of human migration three thousand years ago that spread across the Western Pacific Ocean. So I would say I would say You know, I'm not doing New York rules here, far be it. but I feel like If you've lived in an area, that long, you can be considered native, right? Oh, totally. We're talking generations. and I didn't know this going in, but you know, when you say we refer to them as the Marshalese people, they also have the Marsalese language That's correct and So there this is what we're establishing here is that the Marshall Islands were by no means some kind of empty room. or some kind of barren, uninhabited place where these tests could occur without consequence The first testing in the Marshall Islands occurred during something called Operation Crossroads. And that's what Matt was just talking about, folks. The idea that we need to investigate the effects of nuclear weapons on naval warships becausecause of course, the U.S is not Well, it's many things, but it's not Foolish. It's not naive enough to think that nuclear weapons will stay U. S joint for a long time. Other people want the new toy, right? And when they get the new toy, they're going to use it to break the toys of their rivals, like battleships, carriers, etc. so we have to find out what happens before we see it in the field. So and and some of the some of the stuff surrounding the the early operation crossroads, the actual testing that they did. There's some weird stuff and it's hard to imagine This was a spectacle. You know, you think of nuclear testing at least in the beginning there, it was a very secretive thing. We talked about that. You can't let anyone know that we're testing this weapon. You don't want your rivals to know But as we got into really the thick of Operation Crossroads, the U S has already dropped a nuclear weapon to nuclear weapons on another country And At this point, it's almost as if the U S is wants to publicly show the mightite Again But you know, not hurt anybody just to show that might off So it's in the in this one of the testing, I believe it's called able shot or shot these shles sh T ableel They invited ton of people out to watch this thing They invited the press to come out. Hey, film this thing, takeake pictures. Hey, check this out. Let's talk about this. Let's get it in the news so that in my opinion, so our allies and our enemies We'll notice Similar to a military demonstration. Well I mean it is basically military demonstration with a little bit with a with a lab coat on. It's a big bang And a big, big bang. So shhot able occurs on july first, nineteen forty six. This allowed various U.S. authorities to confirm the power of these weapons And they determined some scary stuff They said, wow, if there were any soldiers on any ships up to a mile away from this explosion, they would be killed Instantly, no takebacks, no worries about the lingering effects of radiation. It's just flipping off like a very violent light switch And then they followed up with the Shot Baker test later that month on july twenty fifth Th These tests were the first time the US had tested nuclear weapons since the days of Trinity in nineteen forty five. And they were also the first nuclear detonations since you those days in August, nineteen forty five when Little Boy and Fatman were dropped over Nagasaki and Hiroshima. And When Operations Crossroads ended It was on august tenth, nineteen forty six, and get this They ended it because of very valid, pressing, terrifying concerns over radiation and the effects radiation can have on the human body, but they were worried about the human bodies of soldiers. There weren't a lot of people on Uncle Sam's side saying, Ah, yeah, what about the people who live here for longer than a tour of duty. They also didn't worry about all the live animals that they loaded onto the ships when they detonated the nukes either to see what would happen No's arr style? Like what why were they Oh was this to see the effects of the radiation on the animals the blast and the radiation. I mean, how do you think they figured out that the soldiers would be killed instantly. Pigs, goats, and mice, I think, specifically So the opposite of Noah's arr style, basically Yeah, Load them onto a boat and killem all and see. M Well, well, see what will happen. Yeah. That's the phrase that let's see what'll happen whichich is, you know, it's a it's a lot like um, If you went to if you went to court for murder because you shot someone point blank and you said, Your honor, I wasn't trying to hurt anybody. I wanted to see what would happen For science dudes. Yikes I know, I know. So This is this is a huge deal though. and a lot of people in the U.S may be aware of the testing, but there's not much attention being paid to the people who are living. in the Marshall Islands And they kept going They kept going because this was a perfect storm of opportunity, right? There's a post World War lull There's a huge boom in industry and technology in the US because it's one of the few Western places that was able to preserve its infrastructure, you know, large parts of Europe destroyed, like not decades and decades of productivity were gone in an instant. So they also didn't have a lot of people who could stop them That was key. We've heard that they evacuated or that these people I guess willingly uated like one hundred and sixty seven something people. and we're talking about a collection of islands, you know in the thousand or not in the thousands, but over a thousand. So how far would this site have been from like whatever the metro center, I believe, Majora, How far would this have been geographically from there? So the distance from Bikini to Majora is eight hundred twenty seven kilometers as the crow flies that works out to five hundred and fourteen miles. Got it And the this is still, by the way That might sound Like it's a long way away. But we have to remember these are nuclear weapons and there are multiple tests. So there is an aggregate cumulative effect here. A Operations Crossroads ends due to Th concerns about radiation for the soldiers only, let's fast forward There's still tests going on. nineteen fifty then President Truman decides that we're going to increase research into thermonuclear weapons because of our new Frenemy The USSR that the conflict the Cold War conflict was already kind of brewing toward the end of World War twoI, of course So to do this To increase this amount of research, we necessarily increase the amount of nuclear testing And it turns out, we have one place, one place where we love to test All these world ending toys. It's still the Marshall Islands. So Something called Operation Greenhouse begins in nineteen fifty one. And then it goes to Operation Ivy. In November of nineteen fifty two, I don't know whether the band is named after that, folks, but I had the same question. Yep, sticking to the same thing. I bet you I bet you they named it after the operation, I would guess, but who knows? Who knows? who knows? But yeah, some of their songs still hold up So shot Mike You know, we had we had those other things we mentioned earlier, shot Ael For instance, there's another one called Shot Mike. It is the world's first known successful test of a hydrogen bomb. And then just a little bit later on november sixteenth Uncle Sam conducted what it called the King shhot which sounds like a really a really heavy Tourist drink you would get in a New Orleans bar or something It also sounds like vaguely Hamiltonian. I don't know why just because of the king and N glad throw away my shot and all that Yeah. Oh yeah, for sure Man. and I don't mean to pull away from that stuff. I just want to remind everybody the difference between an atomic weapon like the ones that were dropped on Japan versus Well we're just now introducing here a hydrogen bomb really the best way to think about it is the scale of destruction and the radius at which letal like instant lethality occurs So if you can imagine that when a nuclear weapon was dropped on Japan around I think it was a radius of about a mile people were killed. Fairly instantly when or instantly when it was dropped. with a hydrogen bomb, you could increase that by About five times or ten times. So like five miles, maybe ten miles in a radius where people would just be instantly killed U justust so everyone's aware, especially when we're talking about proximity to the other people who lived on the Marshall Islands whichich is huge. Yeah. It's very good points.s very important distinction too We're going to pause for a brief word from our sponsors and then we' return with the story of the largest. test the one that is the reason We're looking at an average of one point five Hiroshimas. every day for twelve years. And the inevitable fallout and the inevitable faller This is Janna Kramer from Wind Down with Janna Kramer. So why do they call it a dishwasher? Well, don't worry, it's not a trick question or anything. It's just because it washes dishes. If the filter and the dishwasher itself are dirty, those dishes aren't actually getting clean. That's why you need Cascade Platinum pllus. powered by two times the cleaning power of dawn, Cascade Patinum pllus doesn't just remove one hundred percent of grease and residue from dishes It cleans your dishwasher and filter too. So you get clean dishes and a dishwasher that keeps washing. J scrape, load, and done Find Cascade Platinum pllus at your local retailer. Cascade is a proud sponsor of the Elton John Impact Awards, honoring those who have helped shape a more inclusive and compassionate world with their artistry, advocacy, and unwavering commitment to equality. Cascade would like to take this opportunity to congratulate all of this year's deserving honorees. Don't miss the Elton John Imact Awards podcast available on june first on the I Heart radio app Everywhere, podcasts are heard Alienwa's backack to schoolchool event is the perfect time to score top gaming gear with incredible features and intel core processors to go beyond performance save big on gaming desktops, laptops, and more. Start your Alienware journey with the Alienware fifteen gaming laptop featuring Intel core processors Smoothly game, live stream and multitask for hours on end Plus, play through every game exactly how you want with the customizable alien FX lighting across your alienware ecosystem creating your very own gaming profile and more. And finally, you can pair your incredibly smooth gaming experience with immersive visuals and sound by saving on sleek alienware monitors, headsets, and more. This limited time sale awaits you now at alienware dot com slash deals That's alienware d. com slash deals If you ever wanted to feel what it's like inside an episode of a show you love, hang with podcast hosts beyond the mic, or maybe swap screens for sunsets with curious like minded people Then stuff at Sea is your kind of voyage. Stuff at seea is a five night culture soaked escape where pink sand paradise meets curious minds. Sailing round trip on october second through seventh, twenty twenty six from New York City to Bermuda, this voyage drops you straight into the EiHart podcast's Stuff Universe On top of the adults only experience you already love, you'll get live podcast episode recordings behind the scenes sessions, themed activations, and more unmissable onboard moments. I want to spoil it, but just come hang out. With overnight stays in Bermuda, there's no rush, just long sun drenched days to explore O do absolutely nothing at all. Back on board, curiosity sparks connection through conversations, experiences and a lineup designed to keep things as thought provoking as they are unforgettable. Stuff at Sea is a part of our new specialty sailing collection that transforms beloved podcasts into immersive at sea experiences exclusively with Virgin Voyages So, expect more stories, more hosts, and more ways to experience the voices you love. Book now at virginvoyages dot com slash stuff If something's been off in the bedroom for you, you are not the only one. A lot of guys wait longer than they need to take action. But the difference now Getting a real treatment is simple, and through hims is one hundred percent online HIMS connects you with licensed healthcare providers online, giving you simple access to legitimate ED treatment options from home. 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Viagra is a registered trademark of Viatris spepecialty LLC. HMMS is not affiliated with or endorsed by Viatris We've returned, not to twenty twenty one, but to march first, nineteen fifty four The debut of something called codeename Bravo which is objectively a really cool name. for a terrible thing I think it's a cool nameames. So U. S. conducted the largest nuclear detonation that country has ever conducted Even now, in the modern day, largest ever full stop on Uncle Sam's part It was called Castle Bravo. This took place at the Bikinia tooll on march first U and Bravo was a fifteen megaton hydrogen bomb That is alone the equivalent of Hiroshima One thousand times This was only one of a series of thermonuclear tests But it's it's the big one. and it wasn't supposed to be This we talked about remember earlier in open skies, we talked about how many close calls the human species has had, especially with nuclear weapons. And we were talking specifically about breakdowns in communication or interpretation of what other countries are saying or signaling In this case We screwed it up entirely on our own. This was the first device of its kind. We had the calculations. We thought our math was solid But we were so very wrong And we, meaning the scientists conducting this test It got the math so screwed up. that when the bomb was detonated It nuclear yield was more than double what they had planned for or expected as consequences Worf ot to say about that. do you How do you miscalculate that That much U It's a new technology and you know, they're They're testing, right? That's what this thing is for And they just didn't realize what it was going to do, how big it was going to be. And like you said, there were consequences been the The fallout did drift over into two inhabited areas there in the islands And around two hundred men and women and children were living in the places where that fallout kind of just spread right on top of and You know, it's one of those things We've kind of been sendting up the whole episode, right? of the dangers here for the inhabitants of these islands. and It happened. One at all wronglap the people there found themselves instantly heavily affected by the fallout. And there of course, their ecosystem is affected too. And just just to clarify, these are initial physical effects, not like long term stuff, like we hear about with other, you know, like the big picture of radiation These are direct burns u, you know, on people's bodies and very quick onset of radiation diseases Yeah, exactly. So when you're talking about widespread heavy contamination like this. You think of it in terms of either two clocks Maybe it's better to think of it in terms of the hour hand and the minute hand So the stuff that happens first, those consequences, the burns, the sickness, the radiation poisoning, that's the minute hand and it's going tick, tick, tick. and you're seeing the results. But the bill really comes do with what we would call the hour hand, which is the long tail effects of these things, which are very serious and can take deceades to manifest And that's a problem for the victims in these situations because then it makes it a little more difficult to prove that someone is suffering from a medical condition because of something that happened twenty years ago. You know what exactly. L lotot of room for unethical defense lawyers to play ball on that field So Add to this, the military, the US. military did evacuate these residents as well About two days after the test is when they got around to it And the people of the Marthall Islands, the Marshallese, were not informed of the potential dangers. It was all very much, you know glory to the greatreater good, We're making the world a better place You're sacrificing, but they were under they were under the impression that the sacrifice they were making was moving for a little while It was a very different sacrifice involved a Senator of the Marshall Islands. named Jeton and Jane explained the effects of Castle Bravo in a powerful in a powerful and disturbing way He says, five hours after the detonation of this device It began to rain radioactive fallout at Ronglap The atoll was covered with a fine white powder like substance and listen to this part No one knew it was radioactive fallout. children played in the snow. They ate it. How would you know How would you know Yeah Oh, that is rough man. Yeah It just gets rougher. in nineteen fifty seven, the people of Rongalop came back But officials and scientists that were working for the AEC decided that radiation was still play and still very much a problem Well, yeah as we said, I mean, that's not that's not enough time three years As we said, this And we're going to talk about later this stuff comes in twenty years later as cancer and birth defects and all of the terrible things So there's this there's a later report that comes out in two thousand four And it now between the years of nineteen forty six and nineteen fifty eight, the The full amount of contamination that would have been generated there was in in excess of five hundred and thirty cancers Yeahes, so what that means is in that in that estimate, in that analysis They said, okay, what are the average incidents of cancer in the population, if all things are the same and this test never happened Can we tell whether this radiation increased cancer. And the answer is yes. five hundred and thirty times. peoplee are just peopleeople are more more likely to get cancer that we can trace back in two thousand four. And again, it's a little difficult as time passes So that number is probably probably lower that estimate is probably lower than the actual number, I mean to say and In two thousand five, the National Cancer Institute said the risk of contracting cancer for people exposed to this fallout Like your chance of getting cancer After this One out of three That means that if the three of us on stuff that I want you to know today were in the Marshall Islands at that time. One of us would get cancer And those are terrible, terrible odds Two or three decades after the testing ended, this is where the hour hand against the tick multiple like many, many adult citizens of the Marshall Islands developed cancerous thyroid nodjs and associated health risk increased as well I mean, Your community is shattered You have to leave the home where you know, generations before you lived And that gives you stress. People have PTSD, that also coupled with some other social factors the importation of Western diet with the military leads to diabetes, obesity, things that do not help you if you are contracting cancer and living in an irradiated area It's u It's rough because later the National Cancer Institute comes back in ten and they say And we looked at all the cancer Bet nineteen forty eight and nineteen seventy the Marshall Islands. And we, the Cancer Institute reports, found one point six of all cancers at least during this time period in the Marshall Islands are directly attributable to radiation from nuclear testing This means is that the U S now I won't say on purpose, but the US. through negligence gave these innocent people cancer There's no way around it They would not have had cancer if there had not been nuclear weapons exploding so often for so long So we're saying one point six percent of all cancers that were developed on all of the islands. That's what we're saying? Okay C you. becausecauseuse some places got hit hit much harder, right? The Northern Aolls And the same study found that in the northern atolls, fifty five percent. off all cancers are the result of this fallout. more than half Dang And that one was specifically just for the Castle Bravo test alone The giant one, right.. Wow U And then you know, moving on into the seventies, the US does, you know agree that some mistakes were made I don't know, maybe maybe the implicate they didn't directly say it, but they did agree to clean up the mess as much as possible to clean up the islands. They took the crater from a previous bomb test on rununnet Island And this was the defefense nuclear aggency, by the way, and they built a dome to store nuclear waste And this is you know, we see this in other sites around the United States. For example, the Savannah River site in near Augusta, Georgia, where I grew up is a legacy containment site for spent nuclear weapons. and they would store a lot of this material in pits that they would dig and line and you know bury this stuff. And they realized over time that some of those liners leaked and leached all of that stuff into the soil they had a similar response here. The defefense Nuclear aggency built this dome to store the nuclear waste and they built inside of it, a three hundred and seventy seven foot wide concrete enclosure that holds more than three point one million cubic feet So this is a pit that is the equivalent of thirty five Olympic size swimming pools. filled entirely with radioactive soil and debris that contain lethal doses of plutonium all directly as a result of the US activities here And it gets worse This isn't this isn't just the nuclear trash from M from the Marshall Islands test The U S. took stuff from Nevada and put it on a boat and brought it there. and buried it again, not in my backyard They nimbied this And this structure today is in danger of collapsing It is deteriorating over time And the big concern is that it could soon reach even more of a crisis level due to the rising seas It could you know, this was a problem with Fukushima as well. when the ocean gets involved. Nuclear weapons are an unstoppable force But so is the ocean for now. and And shout out, as our anonymous teacher pointed out, shout out to the excellent work of the LA Times reporting on this situation becausecause there there were We'll look back at this in a second, but there's a solid case that the US engaged in a series of cover upps here. A lot of the stuff that they were doing was classified at the time And you could say, of course it had to be because it was nuclear testing But They also found, it was the LA Times who found that the US had taken one hundred and thirty tons of radiated soil from a Nevada testing site and dumped it there into the dome. And they had also conducted biological weapons tests. So it wasn't just nuclear. they werere like, Hey, well, we've got this testing thing. Let's, you know, let's take the anthrax around the block for spin. Let's just We don't want to hurt anybody. Let's just see what happens Yeah, that's another thing that's generally a no no exploding eventually. It's not always, you know, against international law to do that kind of thing. But it's never a good look when you're sce testing biological weapons. And the bill comes due You know, nowadays, it is Nowadays there are computer models that have the They're sophisticated enough to predict some of the stuff that you could in the past only find out through actual physical testing But still there's not really an excuse for it because again, people live there and you can still see the dome today Locals call it the toomb been described as a nuclear coffin burying the secrets of the U S as well Offials in the Marshall Islands lobbied the U. S. government multiple times for help American officials initially declined to help with this cleanup. They said, get this. Well the dome is on Marshallise land. And you know, post nineteen seventy nine you're a sovereign country. So therefore it's the responsibility of your sovereign government. Hashtag, not it. That land is your land. That land's not my land. just because we tested. Sorry. That was perfect. Wow, that sucks Yeah, That song sucks U God. No, it's true. I mean talk Oh wow. Wow Talk about like a little red hen type situation, you know rememember that fable where all the other it's like a reverse little red hen, where all the other animals wanted to eat the bread that the little red hen spent all this time making. But at the end she said, no, you can't have the bread because I made it. This is literally the other way around where it's like You can't have the bread that we made is going to kill you. Never mind, it's bad. it's a bad analogy. No, no, I think it' good I've got a bad one too or at the very least, it's crass. It's disturbingly similar to someone They like two people hooking up. and, uh someomeone saying, hey In addition to ruining my apartment when we hooked up I think I am pregnant And then the other person saying, you will be a fantastic single mother And I wish you the best of luck with your apartment. And in this case, obviously the child is nuclear waste. That's what happenens. Oh boy. Are we going to get in trouble for that one? do we think? No no, I know it's good.t I think it's it's better than mine. I know it paints a good it paints a disturbing picture, Ben. You're absolutely right. The child is nuclear waste and Yeah, it's like we're not going to give you anything. We're not going to help you. In fact, they they went even further. The folks that were left to clean up our mess weren't even helped in the most basic ways, which you'd think they would at least provide them some kind of protective equipment, you know, hazmat suits or what have you, R Rad suits, if you're a fallout fan. But no notot even that. So there is an argument to be made where you could say, well, maybe this was just a matter of not knowing the full extent. or the full potential danger of this kind of exposure Because again, this was is early in the days of nuclear testing. But how much water does that hold? How much nuclear waste fits in that rationalization dome? I would say not a ton Especially when we consider that the journalists at the times Dve deep into this. they interviewed every marthialese U S. official who had talked to them about this. They went through thousands and thousands and thousands of declassified documents. And they found that the U. S did know some key pieces of information here and they purposely withheld it from the goovernment of the Marshall Islands So they didn't tell them about the weapon testing program. I didn't tell them about the stuff that was actually inside this dome. And the reason they didn't tell them, the reason they covered it up is because they were pushing to sign a deal in nineteen eighty six that would release the U. S. government from any further liability regarding these these tests And this This deal is important. It's still ongoing, but under this deal, they were supposed to pay settlements, right pay fines and also help the population of the country while also cleaning up and paying for that cleanup, right There' another study was published by Columbia University scientist and they found that levels of radiation in certain parts Lve. The Marshall Islands, even today rival the radiation levels found at Chernobyl and Fukushima. I would also argue that the the siloing and withholding of information rivals Chernobyl. Yeah, information control Sometimes it's a necessary thing, but it's always is just so gross And it's usually not necessary It's a really tough thing we've got a story like this that is based on, you know, historical misdeeds or Wrong doinging, like alright wrong doinging by some country and then you can clearly trace the effects and the problems to present day and the future where it's such a long lasting issue It isn't very often that we hit on one of those topics And this is certainly one And it's I'm just so grateful to our listener who put us onto this And My goodness. Maybe we can find a way to help in some way. I don't know how, but I don't know what we do. We don't have the resources. Well, yeah, we don't have much experience cleaning up nuclear waste, which I've always thought is a weak point of our podcast. Im I would agree with you there B. Yeah, but we do know that there is an official holiday. coming up Rembrance Day on march second every year, which honors the victims and the survivors of nuclear testing. Let's throw a holiday at it. That'll be right. right. It raises visibility at least. you can say that agree Now if you are a resident of the US and you want to see further US action in this area, you can always write to your local representatives your individual results. may vary in that regard, unfortunately But the facts, the facts are the same