This programme is a superb way to give a human face to a potentially abstract concept – the dangers of nuclear material, whether it be for military or peaceful purposes.
Herbert Reed is a powerful weapon himself. An American soldier who talks of his experiences in Iraq and tells of things we don’t normally hear. He talks of breathing in noxious substances that have him coughing up a brown goo every morning. He tells how the army – which should be looking out for its own soldiers – denied the existence of even a test for the effects of depleted uranium until a group of uranium affected soldiers go to the press.
For years, Iraqi doctors have been recording a noticeable rise in cancers especially amongst young children. But it is American voices that carry the most power, so perhaps its the direct testimony of American soldiers that will finally bring this story to international attention. Herbert Reed is a dream interview – an obviously decent and patriotic man with a well founded and articulate rage.
The second piece is also very strong: Aileen Miyoko Smith talks about the dangers surrounding the recent permission granted to Japan to extract plutonium from spent fuel. Her graphic accounts of the dangers of nuclear material is horrifying and again, the calm of her delivery only serves to sharpen the horror.
Since the end of the Cold War, the general public has perhaps become complacent about the idea of a nuclear Armageddon. This programme tells us that that complacency is misplaced.
Strongly recommended listening.