TECHINT Turkey's Nuclear Weapons Development Projects

[Bogeyman]

According to the declassified NSA archives, the Turkish Armed Forces had a nuclear weapon development project in 1966.


A very interesting document from the declassified NSA archive. On September 23, 1966, a Tübitak personnel identified as a reliable source requests an appointment from the US Ankara Embassy mining attache and science expert Clarence Wendel and goes to the consulate within half an hour. According to what he learned from MTA General Director Sadrettin Alpan the night before in his meeting; He says that the Deputy Chief of the General Staff, General Refik Tulga, asked Alpan to cooperate with him and Professor Ömer İnönü from METU (it should have been Erdal İnönü, they mixed it up) on the nuclear bomb development project.

And he adds that this project will absorb most of Turkey's scientific and economic resources. Although Wendel told the source that he thought this information was classified militarily and politically, the source says he was aware of it but still wanted Wendel to find out about this information.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1618592127902167040

https://nsarchive.gwu.edu/sites/default/files/media_mentions/2019-11-01_turkey_has_long_had_nuclear_dreams_-_foreign_policy.pdf

 

[Bogeyman]

@Anmdt @Mis_TR_Like @TR_123456 @Zafer @Yasar @OPTIMUS @Test7 @Stuka @Nilgiri @Cabatli_TR @Stimpy75 @TheInsider @Ryder @Trakya_forever

 

[Ripley]

What a great find.
Turkey most probably with a push from the military, considered an atomic weapon capability gain. It seems that the scientific community was being pushed really hard by the military to the breaking point. And finally, the “reliable source” gave in.
The motivation behind such “ambition” might be because they were not happy with the transition of control of atomic energy directly from the USA to the International Atomic Energy Agency. They might have thought that this could have weaken their hand at a probable atomic weapon development program and even use of it.

Bilateral agreement that was mentioned, seems to be referring to the one with the USA and International Atomic Energy Agency but I’m still trying to figure out what was the “trilateral agreement”?

 

[Zafer]

So a traitor wanted to be useful to his benefactor.

Türkiye did not reap benefits of an agreement to peaceful use of nuclear power in the 80 years past. So what was the point of being in an agreement. To make up for the lost years we need to go nuclear ASAP; both peaceful and military.

 

[Heartbang]

"reliable source"

More like a ballsy traitor to the motherland, but that's neither here nor there.
I wonder how soon we can recuperate our losses in this field...

 

[babayetu]

It is unreal, a country that has literally 0 natural resources for energy needs, did not go for at least nuclear reactors for 60 years, it is unreal for the economic perspective let alone the military needs being in the center of every freaking conflict in the planet. This is only possible that our politicians, bureaucrauts and military top heads actually were not ours. To read little about Ruzi Nazar is enough to understand the realities that is extremely unpleasant.

 

[TR_123456]

It is unreal, a country that has literally 0 natural resources for energy needs, did not go for at least nuclear reactors for 60 years, it is unreal for the economic perspective let alone the military needs being in the center of every freaking conflict in the planet. This is only possible that our politicians, bureaucrauts and military top heads actually were not ours. To read little about Ruzi Nazar is enough to understand the realities that is extremely unpleasant.

Its also in the genes,we never aspire to be nr 1(sports),top 5 is enough.
We are lazy people.
When do we wake up and do something?
Only if there is no other way left.
Think about it.

 

[Zafer]

We are not greedy but we are not lazy either. It is those embedded weeds that kept us down. What has been done to Japan and Germany openly has been done to us covertly. We are not being unproductive anymore because we weeded out the weeds in decision making for the most part.

 

[Nilgiri]

@Anmdt @Mis_TR_Like @TR_123456 @Zafer @Yasar @OPTIMUS @Test7 @Stuka @Nilgiri @Cabatli_TR @Stimpy75 @TheInsider @Ryder @Trakya_forever

It doesn't surprise me in the slightest. TR establishment would have to have been incredibly dumb not to at least explore this at the time when even Sweden and many others were (outside of NATO).

TR should have set up basis for nuclear reactor program then as compromise with US deep state pressure.

This looks to have been squandered. So all that time and experience potential was lost.

Can compare with Korea and Japan for example. They kept things going in the relevant tiers and now have breakout should they need it.

 

[Nilgiri]

It is unreal, a country that has literally 0 natural resources for energy needs, did not go for at least nuclear reactors for 60 years, it is unreal for the economic perspective let alone the military needs being in the center of every freaking conflict in the planet. This is only possible that our politicians, bureaucrauts and military top heads actually were not ours. To read little about Ruzi Nazar is enough to understand the realities that is extremely unpleasant.

Yes this is spot on. This was a big drop of the ball in Turkish strategy in cold war that is costing it now.

 

[No Name]

Its also in the genes,we never aspire to be nr 1(sports),top 5 is enough.
We are lazy people.
When do we wake up and do something?
Only if there is no other way left.
Think about it.

it isn't in the genes if it were the genes then the Ottoman empire would have constantly tried to be number 1. The problem is with the republic model of government it simply doesn't work for Turks, yet people across Turkey were brainwashed into loving the republic even though the republic has failed harder than the Ottomans have while dealing with far fewer problems.

 

[I_Love_F16]

it isn't in the genes if it were the genes then the Ottoman empire would have constantly tried to be number 1. The problem is with the republic model of government it simply doesn't work for Turks, yet people across Turkey were brainwashed into loving the republic even though the republic has failed harder than the Ottomans have while dealing with far fewer problems.

So what do you advocate for ? A monarchy ? A dictatorship ?

 

[Anastasius]

For some reason this reminds me of that grassroots Turkish rocket program from the 60s by a bunch of enthusiastic youth that they made a movie about recently. The one that suddenly got shut down and disappeared without explanation.

Turkish nation has a lot of parasites holding it down. When's the surgery scheduled?

 

[No Name]

So what do you advocate for ? A monarchy ? A dictatorship ?

Monarchies in the middle east seem to be less corrupt than republics not to mention also have a slightly better track record with human rights, and the head of state is at least interested in trying to maintain the state so they can pass it along to the children, unlike the system in turkey in which each politician seems to be trying to dismantle the country as soon as they get into office. Monarchies also enshrine tradition which is important not only to the public (to a less degree) but also to the political elite (to a far greater degree) as it establishes day-to-day political norms for them to follow.

I think a constitutional monarchy would have been the best for Turkey instead of a republic as a Sultan would be a check on any would-be authoritarian dictators in the making as they would be an existential threat to the royal family. The parliament would also serve as a check on the Sultan in order to stop him from becoming authoritarian. The system would ideally stop any corrupt all-powerful authoritarian dictator in the making as you would already have a weak dictator that is bounded by tradition.

the only reason Turkey ended up better than other Muslim middle eastern countries is thanks to the countless Ottoman Sultans who died in order to build a professional bureaucracy, yet ever since the 50s these bureaucratic institutions have been slowly eroded away.

 

[Timur]

My disappointment even I did not expect something else is again really great.. My wishes are only bad for these people with this decisions.. Even if they are dead now..

The point of dishonor and selling out your country has proven to have no limits...

 

[Ryder]

This only makes me fume.

Turkiye is in such a chaotic geography so having such weapons is a must!!

 

[iceream]

0 natural resources for energy needs,

What about all the oil in the ocean i keep hearing about ?

 

[YeşilVatan]

What about all the oil in the ocean i keep hearing about ?

That's pretty new

 

[dBSPL]

Turkiye has no interest in producing nuclear bombs. But that doesn't mean it can't do so if circumstances force it to. We need to make this distinction very clear.
Turkiye could have reached nuclear capacity in the 1990s. The way was clear. However, Turkiye could have paid a very serious price/ face risks if it had pushed for it or made such an effort. Everything is valuable when it is meant to be, not later or earlier.

The nuclear industry that is currently being created in our country is entirely aimed at energy independence. Any claim beyond this is essentially an attempt by adversary states to discredit the activities in our country.

 

[No Name]

Turkiye has no interest in producing nuclear bombs. But that doesn't mean it can't do so if circumstances force it to. We need to make this distinction very clear.
Turkiye could have reached nuclear capacity in the 1990s. The way was clear. However, Turkiye could have paid a very serious price/ face risks if it had pushed for it or made such an effort. Everything is valuable when it is meant to be, not later or earlier.

The nuclear industry that is currently being created in our country is entirely aimed at energy independence. Any claim beyond this is essentially an attempt by adversary states to discredit the activities in our country.

you might want to tell Erdoğan to shut up then. I agree that Turkey needs Nuclear power for civilian use not military, sadly renewable energy is not reliable, and coal is too harmful.