MoD wanted nuclear bomb for Channel Tunnel (UK Archives)

[emad]

Times

MoD wanted nuclear bomb for Channel Tunnel
By Alan Hamilton

MINISTRY of Defence officials contemplated sabotaging the as-yet-unbuilt Channel Tunnel with a nuclear bomb in the event of threatened invasion.

But they were unsure whether they had, or could afford, an appropriate device. MoD memos from February 1974 discuss the nuclear option as a last resort, because conventional explosives were not thought likely to be effective against the structure, to disable the tunnel for three years. Defence chiefs were insistent that there should be some way to block the tunnel in an emergency, but would have to tell the French and so would need their co-operation.

Another option was controlled flooding, but this would disable the tunnel for only three months. Switching off the electricity and lifting a few rails would put it out of action for three days, as would a staged, head-on train crash.

One official regarded the plans as pointless nonsense. In a briefing paper he wrote: “Frankly, if we ever reach a situation where Warsaw Pact conventional forces reach Calais without a strategic nuclear exchange having occurred, then I think the Channel Tunnel will be an irrelevance.”

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/newspaper/0,,171-1425037,00.html

GOOD counter-intelligence story...........

[Taxloss]

1. That's the stupidest thing I have ever heard.

Oh, no, hang on, second-stupidest. The first being the collected speeches of W.