DECISION TO TEST FRENCH H-BOMB ©
"We have decided irrevocably to proceed with high altitude tests . of atomic and hydrogen | bombs in the Pacific, and there is no reason for us to change our mind,!'
This chilling declaration was made by Pierre Messmer, French Minister of the Armed Forces, on stopping over January 8 at Sydney, Australia, on his way to Tahiti from Cambodia,
‘The French government, said Messmer, has decided to go ahead des= pite_protests from Australia and New Zealand, "The tests will take. place in 1965 but we don't yet know the date,' _.
ilessmer was on his way to inspect the test sites which are located . 1,100 kilometers to the southeast of Tahiti.
He added that he didn't know how many bombs would he exploded during the series of tests,
"We project carrying out at least ohe series of tests over a period of several months; after that wetll stop,"
De Gaulle's representative waved aside all the protests about: the deadly menace of fresh contamination of the earth!s atmosphere from nuclear fall-out. “We don!t think that these explosions will. constitute a threat to the Australians and New Zealanders," he said, "because these tests will take place e good distance from those that. were carried out some time ago by the United States and the other allies,"