nukes?

["farbuthnot" <asceptic@DELETETHISfreenetname.co.uk>]

Friends - I am aware that the single issues of organisations must be 
returned to (CASI especially, very single issue with my boundless gratitude,
who absolutety allowed latitude after the horrors of Sept 11th) but this, I
feel,is frightening and vital - and I have not seen elsewhere / If it has
been circulated, apologies - hectic month. best, felicity a.

JapaneseDescentHumanRights@yahoogroups.com

> Subject: Pentagon recommends use of nuclear weapons
>
>  thought you would be interested in this article at
> > http://www.japantoday.com/
> > __________
> >
> > Pentagon recommends use of nuclear weapons
> >
> > Wednesday, September 19, 2001 at 09:30 JST
> > WASHINGTON - The Defense Department has recommended
> > to President George W Bush the use of tactical
> > nuclear weapons as a military option to retaliate
> > for last week's terrorist attacks in the United
> > States, diplomatic sources said Tuesday.
> >
> > It is unknown whether Bush has made any decision.
> > But military analysts said the president is unlikely
> > to opt for the use of nuclear weapons because doing
> > so would generate rebuke from the international
> > community and could even trigger revenge from the
> > enemy involving weapons of mass destruction.
> >
> > But the Pentagon's suggestion shows the
> > determination of U.S. officials to retaliate for the
> > first massive terrorist attacks on the U.S.
> > mainland, the analysts said.
> >
> > The recommendation appears intended to deter
> > terrorists, they said.
> >
> > On ABC television's THIS WEEK program Sunday,
> > Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld refused to rule
> > out the use of tactical nuclear weapons. He avoided
> > clearly answering a simple question on whether their
> > use can be ruled out. To a similar question, a
> > Pentagon official also replied, "We will not discuss
> > operational and intelligence matters."
> >
> > According to the diplomatic sources, the Pentagon
> > recommended using tactical nuclear weapons shortly
> > after it became known that an unprecedented number
> > of civilian casualties resulted from the terrorist
> > attacks.
> >
> > On Sept 11, hijackers seized four commercial U.S.
> > aircraft. Two of the planes slammed into the twin
> > towers of New York's World Trade Center, while a
> > third hit the Pentagon near Washington. The fourth
> > plane crashed outside Pittsburgh. More than 5,000
> > people were left dead or missing in the attacks.
> >
> > Tactical nuclear weapons have been developed to
> > attack very specific targets. The military analysts
> > said Pentagon officials are apparently thinking of
> > using weapons that can reach and destroy terrorists
> > hiding in an underground shelter, limiting damage to
> > non-targets.
> >
> > In 1986, the U.S. conducted an air raid on Libya,
> > attempting to target Col. Muammar Qaddafi. In 1998,
> > Washington fired a cruise missile into Afghanistan
> > in an attempt to kill Osama bin Laden, whom the U.S.
> > sees as behind last week's terrorist attacks.
> >
> > The analysts said that since these attempts failed,
> > it may be assumed that U.S. officials are mulling
> > the use of tactical nuclear weapons, which can cause
> > much greater destruction.
> >
> > Declassified official documents show that since the
> > mid-1990s, the U.S. has indicated that it does not
> > rule out the use of nuclear weapons if a country
> > attacks the U.S., its allies, or its forces with
> > chemical or biological weapons. (Kyodo News)
> >
> > Click the link below to view this article and
> > related discussions on Japan Today
> > http://www.japantoday.com/e/?content=news&id=78870
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