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Vietnam War: Stopping nuclear disaster

Wally Hendrickson, a physicist from the United States, flew into the Central Highlands of Vietnam to prevent nuclear devastation, during the final days of the war.

In 1975, during the final days of the Vietnam War, most of the world was unaware that the North Vietnamese were advancing a new breed of nuclear reactor, gifted to the South by the United States government.

Not only was it technology the North's Russian allies did not yet have, it was also a source of weapons-grade nuclear fuel.

As a last resort, the US discussed bombing the facility, risking nuclear fallout, rather than risk the technology falling into Soviet hands.

To avoid humanitarian and environmental disaster, a physicist from Idaho in the US, called Wally Hendrickson, volunteered to be dropped into the front line to remove the fuel rods from the reactor.

He speaks to Ramita Navai. A Two Degrees West production for 麻豆社 World Service.

(Photo: Dalat nuclear institute. Credit: Diane Selwyn)

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9 minutes

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Tue 26 Sep 2023 02:50GMT

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