This is the first description of the formation of America's nulcear surveillance system. Drawing on interviews with participants and the little documentation available under the Freedom of Information Act, Ziegler and Jacobson tell a story not told before. They shed new light on questions raised in earlier interpretations of the early Cold War years and reveal the origins of a surveillance activity that is implied, but not explained, in today's headlines. This book provides the first documented description of the genesis and institutionalization of America's nuclear surveillance system. It traces the development of covert technical methods for assessing the nuclear capability of foreign powers from the introduction of these techniques in World War II to 1949, when they were successfully employed to detect the test of Russia's first atomic bomb. Ziegler and Jacobson examine the planning for the system as well as the technical and organizational obstacles that had to be overcome before it could be implemented. They describe the government decision-making processes and the ways individuals and groups with different beliefs and interests were mobilized in support of the program. They also explore the relationships between the intelligence and scientific communities that were forged in this process.

Drawing on a wide variety of sources, the authors of this accessible study describe the organization of the responsible agency...and the development of radiological, sonic and seismic technology that has monitored nuclear activity worldwide for over 40 years. This study fills a gap in the historical record... Publishers Weekly

About the Author
CHARLES A. ZIEGLER is Lecturer in Social Anthropology at Brandeis University. He holds advanced degrees in anthropology and physics and has published in both fields. DAVID JACOBSON is an Associate Professor of Anthropology at Brandeis University. He has written books and articles on ethnography and social networks.


Book Information
ISBN 9780275950491
Author David Jacobson
Format Hardback
Page Count 256
Imprint Praeger Publishers Inc
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Weight(grams) 510g