James Barrington - Overkill

Political and public pressure meant that neutron weapons were neither used nor deployed by America, although a stockpile is still held in the States. Other nations that have stolen, bought or developed the technology for themselves include France, China, Russia, Israel, South Africa and of course Britain.

Red mercury is a real substance, and is exactly as described in this book. It is a mercury compound that has undergone massive irradiation and which, when exploded, creates the levels of pressure and heat needed to trigger a fusion device such as a neutron bomb, eliminating the need for access to a supply of plutonium. Red mercury is comparatively cheap and easy to produce, especially compared to the costs of developing weapons-grade plutonium, and was sold for many years on the black market by Russia to a variety of countries including Iraq.

It is also a fact that, following the collapse of the Soviet Union, the United States began paying billions of dollars for plutonium extracted from Russia’s dismantled weapons in an attempt to stop black market trading in the element. It is unfortunately also true that most independent surveys suggest that the Russians have actually been sending the Americans plutonium created as a byproduct in their nuclear reactors, and not weapons-grade plutonium. This indicates that either the Russians have not been dismantling their nuclear arsenal, as they claim, or the black market trade in weapons-grade plutonium is flourishing.

We really do live in an uncertain world.

First published 2004 by Macmillan

This edition published 2010 by Pan Books

This electronic edition published 2010 by Pan Books

an imprint of Pan Macmillan, a division of Macmillan Publishers Limited

Pan Macmillan, 20 New Wharf Road, London N1 9RR

Basingstoke and Oxford

Associated companies throughout the world

www.panmacmillan.com

ISBN 978-0-330-53670-7 PDF

ISBN 978-0-330-53661-5 EPUB

Copyright © James Barrington 2004

The right of James Barrington to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

You may not copy, store, distribute, transmit, reproduce or otherwise make available this publication (or any part of it) in any form, or by any means (electronic, digital, optical, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the publisher. Any person who does any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

Visit www.panmacmillan.comto read more about all our books and to buy them. You will also find features, author interviews and news of any author events, and you can sign up for e-newsletters so that you’re always first to hear about our new releases.