Vignette: The Proliferation Question

By John A. Hopkins

On the Sea Lion Press Forums, we run a monthly Vignette Challenge. Contributors are invited to write short stories on a specific theme (changed monthly).

The theme for the 78th contest was Schooldays 

10-11:30 – Mr. Slough’s Modern History – Double Period​

“Thank you, Mr. Sparks,” Mr Slough said quietly from behind his desk, staring over the top of his spectacles pensively.

Karl Sparks nodded and returned to his desk, ignoring the rolling eyes of his classmates sitting to the left of the dividing line. The sixteen teenagers were split into competing groups of eight, drawn at random from a pot. You were expected to defend the premise of whatever side you were drawn on whether you agreed or not.

“So, ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Sparks’ contention is the fault lies with the US and President Truman’s use of atomic weapons against the Japanese at the end of the World War Two.” He paused and looked at the other side. “Miss Partridge, please.”

Naomi Patridge stood. She was tall and elegant. All of the young men and two of the women watched with desire as she walked towards the front of the classroom. She carried no notes and stood in front of the class with a skirt that was perhaps a few inches too short and a shirt that was perhaps a size smaller than ideal.

“Thank you, sir,” she said with a glance at the teacher. “Our contention is that first use did not open Pandora’s Box, but subsequent uses where the weapons were not appropriate for the circumstances reduced the fear of these weapons to such a degree, they were deemed just another weapon.”

A brief pause as she surveyed the room, looking for dissent. Several of those on the Sparks side of the debate seem keen to be swayed, which would infuriate Mr. Slough if the argument was not good.

“The second use of atomic weapons was the Korean War. At the time, only the Soviet Union had nuclear weapons. General MacArthur’s lobbying for release of the weapons in 1950 was unnecessary. As historians freely admit, the four weapons used to destroy airfields and marshalling yards were largely ineffective. Conventional weapons would have sufficed. The US had now used six nuclear weapons against nations that did not possess them.

“It is our contention this second use was more inflammatory than the first use of a new weapon. The horrors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were well known by 1950, but the US decision to use such weapons when there was little need showed the world possessing such weapons was crucial. Our programme was accelerated, as was the French one. We now know the Chinese government started their programme weeks after the American attacks.

“When China tested a bomb in 1955, it was months after the latest border skirmish with India. Fearful, India started their own program, and another domino falls. Ten years after the first bomb. there were five nations with one. Another ten years, and there were eight. There are now twenty-seven nuclear armed countries. When the US used their weapons for the second time, there were two. Twenty-seven!” Partridge turned to Mr. Slough and smiled, then marched back to her seat.

“Thank you, Ms. Partridge.” Slough stood and glanced around the room. “Mr. Vine, what are your thoughts on Ms. Partridge’s argument?”

“Er, well, er,” Steven Vine stammered. He was almost drooling. “I think she made some compelling points.”

“Why don’t you elaborate, if you have been won over so easily.”

Instantly Vine realised his mistake. He stood quickly. “Well, I suppose the argument Ms. Partridge put forth is rather obvious. What about the numerous instances of other nations using atomic weapons since the US in 1950? They have not used them since. It is not fair to say proliferation bred complacency. Familiarity bred contempt.”

Partridge stared hard at Vine, and his face reddened when, out of sight of Mr. Slough she puckered her lips and mimicked a kiss.

“Continue, Mr. Vine,” Slough said with a faint smile.

“Well, er, yeah. It’s later use that makes it acceptable.”

“Which one?” Anita Carton asked.

Vine glanced across the room towards his favourite and least favourite classmate – the woman of his dreams. Shoulder length blond hair, sapphire blue eyes, glorious body, and grades that had Oxbridge colleges fighting over her. He would do the same given a chance. Of course, she never noticed him.

“Well, the Chinese against India in 1962.”

“Why?” Carlton prompted with an endearing grin.

“Because it was supposed to be a border skirmish, but the Chinese used four tactical nuclear weapons because they wanted to prove a point to the Soviets.”

“What point?” Carlton asked, offering Vine another fawning grin.

“To prove they had the balls to use them if the Soviets decided to threaten their border again,” Vine blurted.

“Isn’t it amazing how often balls are the problem,” Carlton said, eyes locked on Vine’s. His cheeks reddened further.

The class sniggered. “Ms. Carlton!” Slough said.

“My apologies,” she muttered, although everyone knew she was not sorry.

“What about Golda Meier?” asked Andrew White.

“One of only two instances where women authorised the use of nuclear weapons,” Carlton said. “As opposed to seven times men have done so.”

“That’s not a fair comparison,” he argued. “There are more male leaders. Statistically speaking, it should be more than seven to two.”

“Alright,” Mr. Slough said. “We’ve had opening arguments. Let’s break into our groups. I want you to rank the nine uses in order of reason for proliferation. Most important to least. You’ve fifteen minutes.”

When Slough called time, he ordered Partridge to the front of the classroom to write their order on the blackboard. She accepted the chalk and wrote nine items on the board, handed back the chalk and clapped her hands to rid them of dust. Slough stood back and surveyed the board.

1950 – US vs. China (Korean War)

1961 – China vs. India

1971 – Israel vs. Syria

1974 – India vs. Pakistan

1986 – Soviet Union vs. Afghanistan

1985 – South Africa vs. Angola, and Soviet response

1945 – US vs. Japan

1997 – Chechen terror attack on Moscow

“Mr. White,” Slough said, having read the list. “Your sides thoughts?”

Andrew White stood. Six feet five, a hundred kilograms of muscle and hair that was almost receding at seventeen, he was expected to play rugby for England. When he spoke, the voice was so astonishingly soft everyone leant forward fractionally to ensure they heard.

“The most interesting thing about the list is the dates,” White said. “No one has used a nuclear weapon for more than two decades. Only two additional countries have crossed the threshold since, but no one has used a nuclear weapon.”

“Whilst that might be interesting, Mr. White, that is a discussion for another day,” Slough said. “Your contention is the US bombing of Japan is the reason for proliferation.”

“Yes, sir,” White said. He glanced at the list again, then at his notes. “Whilst there was only one new member of what is now referred to as the nuclear club by the time of the Korean incident, we know several others were working on a bomb. Our own government, having shared the research of the Tube Alloys project during the war, were particularly piqued the US refused to return the favour and were going to create a bomb. With the Soviet test, it is certain China would have wanted their own atomic weapon. That leads to India, then Pakistan. The detonation of the atomic weapon over Japan in 1945 would have put those countries on the path towards getting The Bomb.” White paused for a quick glance at his team who nodded encouragement. “It is unlikely the use in 1950 changed the course of any of those countries.”

“That gets us to six, not twenty-seven,” Naomi Partridge argued.

“Thank you, Mr. White,” Slough said, glancing at the remainder of his team. “We have not heard from Ms. Yarrow. Please…”

“Sir,” Amy Yarrow said as she stood and moved slowly to the front. “Taiwan, Japan and South Korea can all be traced back to the Chinese bomb.”

“Yes, exactly,” Partridge interrupted. “And we know that follows directly from MacArthur’s attacks in 1950.”

“Not necessarily,” Yarrow snapped. “As Andy said, the China bomb is a response to the Soviet bomb, which existed before they were attacked.”

“Oh, come on,” Grant Adams muttered. “You can’t be saying it’s a coincidence the Chinese programme started weeks after they were bombed. The Soviet bomb was tested in 1949, and there’s no evidence they were interested before they were bombed.”

“You don’t think Soviet border incursions might have changed that?” Yarrow responded.

“That was after. The decision was made. You can’t say the border incursions caused the bomb when they were already researching one.”

“No,” Yarrow admitted. “But I can say with reasonable certainty those incursions would have pushed China to build a nuclear weapon. It was humiliating. China’s use of nuclear weapons against India was unnecessary in real terms. It was a statement.”

“Agreed,” Adams said. “Seems you’re coming round,” he added facetiously.

“Alright, let’s move along,” Slough said. “Let’s say we’re up to nine. Who wants to talk about the other eighteen?”

Sparks raised a hand, and Slough nodded. “Can we all agree the former Soviet Republics are unrelated to the Chinese bombing? They just kept the weapons they inherited with the USSR collapsed.”

“Would they have kept them if there were, say, five nuclear powers instead of fifteen in 1989?” Partridge asked, a grin on her face.

“Oh, come on!” Sparks said, throwing his hands in the air. “There is no country that has given up nuclear weapons once they have them. As far as we are aware, only a couple of countries have given up weapons programmes once they started. No way are they giving them back.”

“Fine, we’ll concede that,” said Peter Jacks said. “In fact, we’d be happy to concede everything after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Fifteen jumps to eighteen in a few days, and after that it’s a bit of a free for all. It’s a surprise Iran and the Saudis waited as long as they did after the Israelis used nukes against the Syrians.”

“Er, OK,” Sparks said.

“In fact, I think the more interesting occurrence to is the last one,” Jacks said. “Because that’s the event that appears to have put the cork back in the bottle.”

“That’s an interested perspective, Mr. Jacks,” Slough said. “I thought we’d agreed to move on from that.”

“Well, sir, I think it’s important. No one has used one, even with the conflicts in the Middle East.”

“Yeah, but Iraq and Syria don’t have nukes,” Sparks said. “Hard to use them if you don’t have them.”

“Libya managed to buy six warheads…” Jacks said with a shrug.

“Libya has billions of barrels of oil.”

“So does Iraq,” Jacks said. “However, the fact is, the terror attack in Moscow seemed to bring home how horrific these weapons are.”

“But the exchange in Southern Africa didn’t? Or the Soviet’s in Afghanistan?” Partridge challenged, even though she was ostensibly on the same side.

“It would appear not,” Jacks said. “It might not be right, but it didn’t.”

“Can we get back on topic please,” Slough said, glancing at his watch. “What event was most responsible for the vast proliferation of nuclear weapons we live with today?”

“It’s curious,” Sparks said. “Both of us agree it’s early. One of the first two users. Both by the US, who have not repeated the mistake. Britain could have joined the list of offenders. Suez. The Falkland’s. Whilst we might see it as a massive overreaction today, in hindsight, at the time would it have been seen the same way? Sure, there would have been criticism. But America, China, India, Pakistan, Israel, the Soviets and South Africa all survived. The third, fourth and fifth time weren’t as important as the first. Or the second. But it’s that first one that opened Pandora’s Box.”

The bell rang, but no one moved. Slough glanced to his left. “MacArther or Truman?”

“Well, let’s be honest, sir. Truman was president for both, so it’s his fault,” Naomi Partridge said with a smile. “An honourable draw, Mr. Sparks, team Truman?”

“Agreed,” Sparks said.

“Thank you all, class dismissed.” Slough smiled and sat behind his desk as the sixth formers trooped out, steeling himself for the class of eleven- and twelve-year olds he had to endure before lunch. The EU Referendum of 2016 was the topic!

---

Discuss this Article

---

John A. Hopkins is the author behind the novel Atomic Secrets and its sequel Funny Money.