America suspects that a particular country is developing a nuclear bomb even though it’s leader strongly denies it.
Prolonged economic and political pressure fails to persuade that nation to abandon it’s weapons programme and there’s talk of a military strike.
This is not about the current stand-off with Iran but concerns the fierce row that developed between the USA and Pakistan during the late 1970’s.
India had recently tested it’s first nuclear bomb and it’s smaller neighbour, Pakistan was desperate for parity.
Committed to stopping such proliferation during these dangerous cold war days, yet failing to do so at every step, a worried Washington began losing patience.
With the help of formerly top secret papers and a number of key participants from the day, Mike Thomson investigates how close America came to launching a paramilitary attack or bombing raid on Pakistan’s nuclear base.
