Secret tests had role in ending nuclear stand-off

DURING the late 1950s, both Russia and the West had amassed a formidable arsenal of nuclear weapons, incurring significant expense. Efforts were being made to establish common ground, particularly concerning a treaty to ban nuclear tests.

- ANDREW GREENWOOD

However, a new theory emerged that plunged scientists and politicians into a perilous spiral of increased fear and distrust, potentially escalating to a disastrous nuclear confrontation.

In the midst of intense secrecy, this global conflict almost reached our doorstep specifically, a hill with sweeping views across Plymouth to the Eddystone lighthouse.

Kit Hill, standing at around 1,000 feet above sea level, is known for its wild beauty, panoramic vistas, and rich biodiversity, as well as its extensive industrial past.

Yet, there are no visible signs of the critical experiments conducted beneath its surface, which aimed to foster trust between the West and Russia and contribute to halting the nuclear arms race.

As Samuel Murphy details in his book 'Grey Gold': "An essential prerequisite of such a treaty was an ability to make sure that none of the signatories could cheat by carrying out secret tests undetected, and it was arguments about the effectiveness of the systems for detecting surreptitious nuclear tests whether they were in the air, on land, in the sea or underground which deadlocked the talks.

"Then out of the blue came a potentially devastating bombshell in the form of a new scientific theory.