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Stephen Schwartz @atomicanalyst.bsky.social

President Truman was initially not certain he wanted to publicly announce the Soviet nuclear test, worrying that doing so would have serious diplomatic and economic repercussions. When he finally did, however, he did not say it was an atomic bomb test, only that “an atomic explosion occurred.”

The front page of the September 24, 1949, edition of the Washington Post, featuring the lead headline, “Truman Reveals Red A-Blast; No Widespread Alarm Felt; Stockpiling May Be Speeded; President's Announcement Does Not Say Reds Have Atom Bomb.” Additional front-page articles include, “Soviet A-Blast Fails to Jolt Pentagon,” The front page of the September 24, 1949, edition of the New York Times, featuring the lead headline, “Atom Blast in Russia Disclosed; Truman Again Asks U.N. Control; Vishinsky Proposes A Peace Pact; U.S. Reaction Firm; President Does Not Say Soviet Union Has An Atomic Bomb.” Additional front-page articles include, “Soviet Achievement Ahead of Predictions by 3 Years,” “Vishinsky Says U.S. Plots Atomic War,
aug 29, 2025, 2:07 pm • 2 0

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Stephen Schwartz @atomicanalyst.bsky.social

Today is also the 34th anniversary of the closure of the Semipalatinsk Test Site—aka the Polygon—and the 16th International Day Against Nuclear Tests, established by the United Nations in 2009 at the urging of Kazakhstan and other states to commemorate that milestone.

aug 29, 2025, 2:07 pm • 12 2 • view