text:
Inspirations for James Bond
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to navigation Jump to search
A number of real-life inspirations have been suggested for James Bond, the fictional character created in 1953 by British author, journalist and Naval Intelligence officer Ian Fleming; Bond appeared in twelve novels and nine short stories by Fleming, as well as a number of continuation novels and twenty-six films, with seven actors playing the role of Bond.
Although the stories and characters were fictional, a number of elements had a real life background, taken from people whom Fleming knew or events he was aware of. These included the spy's name, which Fleming took from the American ornithologist James Bond, and the code number—007—which referred to the breaking of a World War I German diplomatic code. Some aspects of Bond's character and tastes replicate those of Fleming himself.
Contents
1 Origins of the name
2 Character inspirations
3 Literary inspirations
4 Inspiration for "007"
5 See also
6 References
7 Sources
8 External links
Origins of the name[edit]
James Bond, ornithologist; provider of Bond's name
On the morning of 17 February 1952, Ian Fleming started writing what would become his first book, Casino Royale, at his Goldeneye estate in Jamaica. He typed out 2,000 words in the morning, directly from his own experiences and imagination[1] and finished work on the manuscript in just over a month,[2] completing it on 18 March 1952.[3] Fleming took the name for his character from that of the American ornithologist James Bond, a Caribbean bird expert and author of the definitive field guide Birds of the West Indies; Fleming, a keen birdwatcher himself, had a copy of Bond's guide and he later explained to the ornithologist's wife that "It struck me that this brief, unromantic, Anglo-Saxon and yet very masculine name was just what I needed, and so a second James Bond was born".[4]
When I wrote the first one in 1953, I wanted Bond to be an extremely dull, uninteresting man to whom things happened; I wanted him to be a blunt instrument ... when I was casting around for a name for my protagonist I thought by God, [James Bond] is the dullest name I ever heard.
Ian Fleming, The New Yorker, 21 April 1962[5]
On another occasion Fleming said: "I wanted the simplest, dullest, plainest-sounding name I could find, 'James Bond' was much better than something more interesting, like 'Peregrine Carruthers'. Exotic things would happen to and around him, but he would be a neutral figure—an anonymous, blunt instrument wielded by a government department."[6] After Fleming met the ornithologist and his wife, he described them as "a charming couple who are amused by the whole joke".[7] The ornithologist was obliquely referred to in the film Die Another Day with Pierce Brosnan's Bond picking up a copy of Birds of the West Indies and posing as an ornithologist.[8]
Character inspirations[edit]
During the Second World War Fleming was the personal assistant to the director of the Naval Intelligence Division, Admiral John Godfrey.[9] He reached the rank of commander—a rank he subsequently gave to his fictional creation—and was the planner for special operations unit 30th Assault Unit.[10] Many of Bond's tastes and traits were Fleming's own, including sharing the same golf handicap, the taste for scrambled eggs and using the same brand of toiletries.[11] Bond's tastes are also often taken from Fleming's, as was his behaviour,[12] with Bond's love of golf and gambling mirroring his creator's. Fleming used the experiences of his espionage career and other aspects of his life as inspiration when writing, including using names of school friends, acquaintances, relatives and lovers throughout his books.[13]
Bond's cigarettes were also the same as Fleming's, who had been buying his custom-made by Morland since the 1930s; Fleming added the three gold bands on the filter during the war to mirror his naval Commander's rank.[14] On average, Bond smokes sixty cigarettes a day, although he cut back to around twenty-five a day after his visit to a health farm in Thunderball.[15] Fleming himself smoked up to eighty cigarettes a day.[16] Apart from imbuing Bond with his own tastes, Fleming based his fictional creation on a number of individuals he came across during his time in intelligence, admitting that Bond "was a compound of all the secret agents and commando types I met during the war".[13]
Name
Dates
Notes
Sidney Cotton
17 June 1894 – 13 February 1969 Cotton was born in Australia and moved to England to serve in the Royal Naval Air Service. He was a close friend of Fleming during the Second World War. After having served as a pilot in the First World War, Cotton worked for MI6 photographing German factories, military installations and airfields from a camera hidden in a plane's fuselage. He would also openly take photographs of installations using people as cover for doing so—including Hitler's deputy, Hermann Göring. Cotton also flew the last civilian plane out of Berlin at the outbreak of the Second World War, taking pictures of the German navy as he did so.[17]
Patrick Dalzel-Job
1 June 1913 – 14 October 2003 Naval intelligence officer and commando of the Second World War, Dalzel-Job was also an accomplished linguist, author, mariner, navigator, parachutist, diver and skier and knew Fleming through his service with 30AU.[18] Like Bond, he had a rebellious streak when he disagreed with orders on points of principle. A modest man, when once asked about the connection with Bond he replied: "I have never read a Bond book or seen a Bond movie. They are not my style ... And I only loved one woman and I'm not a drinking man."[19]
Wilfred (Biffy) Dunderdale
24 December 1899 – 13 November 1990 The MI6 head of station in Paris, Dunderdale would regularly dine at Maxim's; he drove an armour-plated Rolls-Royce and dressed in handmade suits and Cartier cufflinks.[20] Dunderdale was a bon viveur who enjoyed attractive women and fast cars and was a friend of Fleming's during the Second World War.[21] He also played a key role in the cracking of the Enigma code.[20]
Peter Fleming
31 May 1907 – 18 August 1971 Ian Fleming's elder brother, and wartime expert of military intelligence and irregular warfare. He spent time behind enemy lines in Norway and Greece during the war.[22] He also spent time in Delhi, organising deception plans to fool the Imperial Japanese Army.[23]
Sandy Glen
18 April 1912 – 6 March 2004 Glen was a former Arctic explorer who worked with Fleming in Naval Intelligence.[24] Like Bond, Glen went to Fettes College and had Scottish antecedents.[25] Glen distanced himself from the connection, saying "I don't think it's true for a moment; I'm far too gentle, too law-abiding."[24]
Duane Hudson
11 August 1910 – 1 November 1995 Hudson spent much of the Second World War behind enemy lines in Yugoslavia, initially with the British Secret Service and subsequently with the Special Operations Executive (SOE).[26] Hudson survived assassination attempts and recruited a network of agents to blow up Axis shipping—blowing up an Italian ship single-handedly.[27]
Fitzroy Maclean
11 March 1911 – 15 June 1996 During World War II Maclean was a British agent in Yugoslavia and friend (and biographer) of Josip Broz Tito, as well as a member of the Special Air Service, active in North Africa and Yugoslavia. Although a number of media sources at the time of his death suggested that he was a model for Bond, he denied the rumour, a view shared by Fleming's biographer, Andrew Lycett.[24][28]
Michael Mason
— Mason ran away from his wealthy family at an early age to go to Canada where he worked as a trapper and professional boxer. At the outbreak of war he worked in then-neutral Bucharest where he killed two German agents who were trying to assassinate him.[24]
Merlin Minshall
21 December 1906 – 3 September 1987 Minshall was a fellow member of the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve and was known to Fleming through his work in naval intelligence. In 1940 he joined the SOE and waged guerrilla warfare against the Nazis in France and Yugoslavia.[29][30]
Conrad O'Brien-ffrench
19 November 1893 – 23 October 1986 O'Brien-ffrench was a distinguished British secret intelligence officer, decorated army officer, skier, mountaineer, linguist, traveller and artist. He met Fleming in Austria in the 1930s while working for Claude Dansey's "Z" network gathering information on German troop movements.[13][31] In 1918, Stewart Menzies recruited Conrad into MI6 who then undertook clandestine missions abroad.[32]
Duško Popov
10 July 1912 – 10 August 1981 Popov was a Serbian triple agent of VOA (code named "Duško"), MI6 (code named "Tricycle") and the Abwehr (code named "Ivan").[33] Fleming knew Popov and followed him in Lisbon, Portugal as an escort appointed by the MI6, witnessing an event in the Estoril Casino where Popov placed a bet of $40,000 ($700,000 in 2017 dollars[34]) in order to cause a rival to withdraw from a baccarat table: Fleming used this episode as the basis for Casino Royale.[35]
Sidney Reilly
24 March 1873 – 5 November 1925 Reilly was an agent for Scotland Yard's Special Branch and the British Secret Service Bureau. In 1918, Reilly was employed by Sir Mansfield Smith-Cumming as an operative for MI1(c), an early designation for the MI6.[36] Reilly's friend Sir Robert Bruce Lockhart knew Fleming for many years and told him of Reilly's espionage adventures;[37] Fleming subsequently mentioned to a colleague at The Sunday Times that he had created Bond after hearing about Reilly.[38]
Peter Smithers
9 December 1913 – 8 June 2006 Sir Peter Smithers, who was known to Fleming, organised passage for British refugees from France as the Nazis advanced through France. Later, as a naval attaché, he worked in Washington on spreading disinformation about the Nazis.[39] He spent part of the war working in Naval Intelligence; Fleming later named a character in Goldfinger after him.[40]
William Stephenson
23 January 1897 – 31 January 1989 William Stephenson was an international spymaster, best known by his code name, Intrepid; A Canadian WWI soldier, ace fighter pilot, entrepreneur, inventor and international millionaire businessman, Stephenson, a Knight Bachelor, would by 1940 become the head of the British Security Coordination, an MI6 organisation based in New York, and an advisor to Churchill and Roosevelt.[41] His WWI Military Cross and Distinguished Flying Cross citations note his daring and initiative in causing casualties and chaos behind enemy lines, and proficiency in providing military intelligence. Shot down late in 1918, he would become a prisoner of war but was able to escape internment. Among many later initiatives after establishing himself across many lines of international commerce in the 1920 and 30s, he provided first hand information on German treaty violations and war preparations to Winston Churchill in the 1930s, and established and ran the Allies Camp X spy training facility during WWII. He was instrumental in the development of important spycraft and tools. Regarding him, Fleming wrote in The Sunday Times of 21 October 1962, that Bond was: "a highly romanticized version of a true spy. The real thing, the man who became one of the great agents of the [Second World War] is William Stephenson."[42]
Forest Yeo-Thomas
17 June 1902 – 26 February 1964 Wing Commander Forest Yeo-Thomas was a British field agent code named "White Rabbit" for the SOE. His missions for the SOE involved him parachuting multiple times in enemy occupied France. In his memoirs, Fleming wrote of his fascination with the missions Thomas conducted behind enemy lines, such as having dinner with Nazis, the use of disguises, being captured and interrogated by the Gestapo before escaping, shooting an enemy agent, as well as having relationships with different women.[43][44]
Flemming who later thought the the character of James Bond, needed much alterations. A major inspiration to the lifestyle of James Bond came from a Dominican Diplomat named Profirio Rubirosa. Rubirosa was into Women, fast cars and expensive attire. Flemming loved that he was known for his playboy life style and great choice of fast cars while having such a smooth and calm personality, that flemming adapted that life style for James Bond.
Literary inspirations[edit]
Besides real life individuals, James Bond was also inspired by one of Dennis Wheatley's characters; the secret agent Gregory Sallust,[45] based on Wheatley's late friend Gordon Eric Gordon-Tombe.[46]
Inspiration for "007"[edit]
The 007 number assigned to James Bond may have been influenced by any number of sources. In the films and novels, the 00 prefix indicates Bond's discretionary "licence to kill", in executing his duties. Bond's number—007—was assigned by Fleming in reference to one of British naval intelligence's key achievements of World War I: the breaking of the German diplomatic code.[47]
One of the German documents cracked and read by the British was the Zimmermann Telegram, which was coded 0075,[48] and which was one of the factors that led to the US entering the war. Subsequently, if material was graded 00 it meant it was highly classified and, as journalist Ben Macintyre has pointed out, "to anyone versed in intelligence history, 007 signified the highest achievement of British military intelligence."[47]
See also[edit]
James Bond portal
Outline of James Bond
References[edit]
Jump up ^ Chancellor 2005, p. 4.
Jump up ^ "Ian Fleming". About Ian Fleming. Ian Fleming Publications. Retrieved 7 September 2011.
Jump up ^ Black 2005, p. 4.
Jump up ^ Caplen 2010, p. 21.
Jump up ^ Hellman, Geoffrey T. (21 April 1962). "Bond's Creator (subscription needed)". Talk of the Town. The New Yorker. p. 32. Retrieved 9 September 2011.
Jump up ^ Fleming, Ian (5 April 1958). ""The Exclusive Bond" Mr. Fleming on his hero". The Manchester Guardian. p. 4.
Jump up ^ Chancellor 2005, p. 230.
Jump up ^ Steyn, Mark (30 November 2002). "Forever Bond". The Spectator. London. 131: 68.
Jump up ^ Lycett 1996, p. 103.
Jump up ^ Rankin 2011, p. 136.
Jump up ^ Macintyre 2008, p. 50.
Jump up ^ Cook, William (28 June 2004). "Novel man". New Statesman. p. 40.
^ Jump up to: a b c Macintyre, Ben (5 April 2008). "Bond – the real Bond". The Times. p. 36.
Jump up ^ Chancellor 2005, p. 70.
Jump up ^ Benson 1988, p. 70.
Jump up ^ Burns, John F (19 May 2008). "Remembering Fleming, Ian Fleming". The New York Times. Retrieved 22 November 2011.
Jump up ^ Morris, David (15 July 2001). "The real Bond – Revealed: 007 was actually a Queenslander". The Sunday Mail. p. 18.
Jump up ^ McGrory, Daniel; Evans, Michael; English, Shirley. "War hero hailed as the real 007 dies". The Times. London. p. 3.
Jump up ^ Macintyre 2008, p. 70.
^ Jump up to: a b Macintyre 2008, p. 72.
Jump up ^ Gardham, Duncan (22 September 2010). "Fast cars, women ... was he the model for Bond?". The Daily Telegraph. London. p. 15.
Jump up ^ "Obituary: Colonel Peter Fleming, Author and explorer". The Times. London. 20 August 1971. p. 14.
Jump up ^ Macintyre 2008, p. 67-68.
^ Jump up to: a b c d Cathcart, Brian (23 June 1996). "The name's Dunderdale, Biffy Dunderdale". The Independent. London. p. 10.
Jump up ^ Lycett 1996, p. 112.
Jump up ^ Foot, Michael (14 November 1995). "Obituary: Colonel D. T. Hudson". The Independent. London. p. 18.
Jump up ^ "Agent who met Tito". Herald Sun. Melbourne. 24 November 1995.
Jump up ^ West 2010, p. 134.
Jump up ^ "Wartime Agent Believed To Have Been Model For James Bond Dies". Associated Press. 23 September 1987.
Jump up ^ "Obituary of Mr Merlin Minshall". The Times. London. 23 September 1987.
Jump up ^ Jackson & Scott 2004, p. 125.
Jump up ^ McKay 1993, p. 115.
Jump up ^ "The name's Tricycle, Agent Tricycle". BBC News. 9 May 2002. Retrieved 17 January 2012.
Jump up ^ Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis Community Development Project. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. Retrieved 2 January 2018.
Jump up ^ West 2010, p. xxii–xxiii.
Jump up ^ Spence 2002, p. 93.
Jump up ^ Cook 2004, p. 12.
Jump up ^ Cook 2004, p. 10.
Jump up ^ Cameron, Sue (15 June 2006). "Model for 007 was more greenfinger than Goldfinger Obituary: Sir Peter Smithers". Financial Times. London. p. 4.
Jump up ^ "Obituary: Sir Peter Smithers". The Times. London. 15 June 2006. p. 62.
Jump up ^ West 2010, p. 15-16.
Jump up ^ Hamilton 2011, p. 147.
Jump up ^ Preece, Rob (23 September 2014). "The Second World War spy whose ruthlessness with enemies and charming way with women inspired author to create James Bond". The Daily Mail. Retrieved 17 April 2015.
Jump up ^ Coping, Jasper (23 September 2014). "Second World War hero who inspired the creation of James Bond". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 17 April 2015.
Jump up ^ Rosenberg, Tina (8 August 2012). "The Novelist Who Spied: How Dennis Wheatley Helped Defeat the Nazis". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 24 December 2012.
Jump up ^ "The Dennis Wheatley 'Museum' - Instant success as an author". Retrieved 24 December 2012.
^ Jump up to: a b Macintyre 2008, p. 65.
Jump up ^ Chancellor 2005, p. 190.
Sources[edit]
Benson, Raymond (1988). The James Bond Bedside Companion. London: Boxtree Ltd. ISBN 978-1-85283-233-9.
Black, Jeremy (2005). The Politics of James Bond: from Fleming's Novel to the Big Screen. University of Nebraska Press. ISBN 978-0-8032-6240-9.
Caplen, Robert (2010). Shaken & Stirred: The Feminism of James Bond. Bloomington, Indiana: Xlibris. ISBN 978-1-4535-1282-1. [self-published source]
Chancellor, Henry (2005). James Bond: The Man and His World. London: John Murray. ISBN 978-0-7195-6815-2.
Cook, Andrew (2004). Ace of spies: the true story of Sidney Reilly. Stroud: Tempus Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7524-2959-5.
Hamilton, Dwight (2011). Inside Canadian Intelligence: Exposing the New Realities of Espionage and International Terrorism. Ontario: Dundurn Press. ISBN 978-1-55488-892-4.
Jackson, Peter; Scott, L. V. (2004). Understanding intelligence in the 21st century: Journeys in shadows. London: Routledge. ISBN 978-0-7146-5533-8.
Lycett, Andrew (1996). Ian Fleming. London: Phoenix. ISBN 978-1-85799-783-5.
Macintyre, Ben (2008). For Your Eyes Only. London: Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7475-9527-4.
McKay, C.G. (1993). From Information to Intrigue: Studies in Secret Service based on the Swedish Experience, 1939–1945. London: Frank Cass & Co. Ltd. ISBN 978-0-7146-3470-8.
Rankin, Nicholas (2011). Ian Fleming's Commandos: The Story of 30 Assault Unit in WWII. London: Faber and Faber. ISBN 978-0-571-25062-2.
Spence, Richard (2002). Trust no one: the secret world of Sidney Reilly. Washington: Feral House. ISBN 978-0-922915-79-8.
West, Nigel (2010). Historical dictionary of Ian Fleming's world of intelligence: fact and fiction. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0-7524-2896-3.
External links[edit]
Official website of Ian Fleming Publications
hide
v
t
e
Ian Fleming's James Bond
Outline
Bibliography
Novels
List
Inspirations
Young Bond
Films
List
Motifs
Locations
Gun barrel sequence
Music
Comics
List
Strips
Books
Television
"Casino Royale" (Climax!)
James Bond Jr.
episodes
Fleming: The Man Who Would Be Bond
Characters
James Bond
literary character
film character
Allies
Girls
Villains
Henchmen
Weapons
Gadgets
Vehicles
Related
Fandom
Parodies and spin offs
Licence to kill (concept)
Vesper cocktail
"Shaken, not stirred"
Video games
James Bond (ornithologist)
Book
Category
Portal
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Inspirations_for_James_Bond&oldid=854698106"
Categories:
James Bond
James Bond lists
Hidden categories:
Good articles
All articles with self-published sources
Articles with self-published sources from December 2017
Navigation menu
Personal tools
Not logged in
Talk
Contributions
Create account
Log in
Namespaces
Article
Talk
Variants
Views
Read
Edit
View history
More
Search
Navigation
Main page
Contents
Featured content
Current events
Random article
Donate to Wikipedia
Wikipedia store
Interaction
Help
About Wikipedia
Community portal
Recent changes
Contact page
Tools
What links here
Related changes
Upload file
Special pages
Permanent link
Page information
Wikidata item
Cite this page
Print/export
Create a book
Download as PDF
Printable version
Languages
Add links
This page was last edited on 13 August 2018, at 04:59 (UTC).
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.
Privacy policy
About Wikipedia
Disclaimers
Contact Wikipedia
Developers
Cookie statement
Mobile view
Enable previews

values: mw-page-base noprint

values: mw-head-base noprint

values: This is a good article. Follow the link for more information.

values: firstHeading firstHeading en

values: siteSub noprint

values: mw-jump-link #mw-head

values: mw-jump-link #p-search

values:
/wiki/Fictional_character
mw-redirect
Fictional character

values:
/wiki/British_Naval_Intelligence
mw-redirect
British Naval Intelligence

value: p

value: input

attrs: type role id class style

values: checkbox button toctogglecheckbox toctogglecheckbox display:none

value: label

attrs: class for

values: toctogglelabel toctogglecheckbox

values:
quotebox pullquote floatleft
width:25%; ; background-color: #CFECEC;

values:
/wiki/Second_World_War
mw-redirect
Second World War

values:
col
vertical-align:top; width:110px;
headerSort
0
columnheader button
Sort ascending

values:
col
headerSort
0
columnheader button
Sort ascending

values:
/wiki/Maxim%27s_Paris
mw-redirect
Maxim's Paris

values:
/wiki/Rolls-Royce_(car)
mw-redirect
Rolls-Royce (car)

values:
/wiki/Cartier_S.A.
mw-redirect
Cartier S.A.

values:
/wiki/Duane_Hudson
mw-redirect
Duane Hudson

values:
/wiki/Triple_agent
mw-redirect
Triple agent

values:
/wiki/Vojnoobave%C5%A1tajna_agencija
mw-redirect
Vojnoobaveštajna agencija

values: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland

values:
/wiki/Mansfield_Cumming
mw-redirect
Mansfield Cumming

values: wikitable plainrowheaders sortable jquery-tablesorter

values: display:table-cell;padding:0.2em 0.2em 0.2em 0.3em;vertical-align:middle

values: margin:0.5em 0 0.5em 1em;border:solid #aaa 1px

values:
/wiki/John_F._Burns
mw-redirect
John F. Burns

values:
/wiki/The_Daily_Mail
mw-redirect
The Daily Mail

values: -moz-column-width: 25em; -webkit-column-width: 25em; column-width: 25em; list-style-type: decimal;

values: The material near this tag may rely on a self-published source. (December 2017)

values:
/wiki/Tempus_Publishing
mw-redirect
Tempus Publishing

values: -moz-column-width: 40em; -webkit-column-width: 40em; column-width: 40em;

values:
nofollow
external text
http://www.ianfleming.com

values: List of James Bond novels and short stories

values: List of recurring characters in the James Bond film series

values:
/wiki/List_of_James_Bond_henchmen
mw-redirect
List of James Bond henchmen

values: List of James Bond parodies and spin-offs

values: nowraplinks hlist collapsible autocollapse navbox-inner mw-collapsible mw-made-collapsible

values: Category:All articles with self-published sources

values: Category:Articles with self-published sources from December 2017

values: Discussion about edits from this IP address [ctrl-alt-n]

values: A list of edits made from this IP address [ctrl-alt-y]

values: You are encouraged to create an account and log in; however, it is not mandatory

values: You're encouraged to log in; however, it's not mandatory. [ctrl-alt-o]

values:
/wiki/Inspirations_for_James_Bond
View the content page [ctrl-alt-c]
c

values: Discussion about the content page [ctrl-alt-t]

values: p-namespaces navigation vectorTabs p-namespaces-label

values:
p-variants
navigation
vectorMenu emptyPortlet
p-variants-label

values: Past revisions of this page [ctrl-alt-h]

values: p-views navigation vectorTabs p-views-label

values:
p-cactions
navigation
vectorMenu emptyPortlet
p-cactions-label

values:
mw-wiki-logo
/wiki/Main_Page
Visit the main page

values:
/wiki/Main_Page
Visit the main page [ctrl-alt-z]
z

values: Featured content – the best of Wikipedia

values: Find background information on current events

values:
/wiki/Special:Random
Load a random article [ctrl-alt-x]
x

values: portal navigation p-navigation p-navigation-label

values: Guidance on how to use and edit Wikipedia

values: About the project, what you can do, where to find things

values: A list of recent changes in the wiki [ctrl-alt-r]

values: portal navigation p-interaction p-interaction-label

values: List of all English Wikipedia pages containing links to this page [ctrl-alt-j]

values: Recent changes in pages linked from this page [ctrl-alt-k]

values:
/wiki/Wikipedia:File_Upload_Wizard
Upload files [ctrl-alt-u]
u

values: A list of all special pages [ctrl-alt-q]

values: Permanent link to this revision of the page

values: Link to connected data repository item [ctrl-alt-g]

values: Printable version of this page [ctrl-alt-p]

values: mediawiki ltr sitedir-ltr mw-hide-empty-elt ns-0 ns-subject page-Inspirations_for_James_Bond rootpage-Inspirations_for_James_Bond skin-vector action-view


text:
Zach Bonner
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to navigation Jump to search
Zach Bonner
Bonner in 2008
Born
(1997-11-17) November 17, 1997 (age 20)
Searcy, Arkansas
Residence
Tampa, Florida
Citizenship
American
Organization
Little Red Wagon Foundation
Zachary "Zach" L. Bonner (born November 17, 1997) is an American philanthropist and founder of the non-profit charity Little Red Wagon Foundation.[1][2] Bonner received the Presidential Service Award in 2006.
When he was seven years old, he founded the organization to aid the 1.3 million homeless children in the United States.[1] Bonner said that, "These kids don't have a home, they don't have a safe place to sleep at night. They're out on the streets not because they want to be, but because it's out of their control."[2]
In 2007, Bonner began his three-stage "My House to the White House" project. The project's purpose was to raise money and awareness for homeless children. In 2007, he walked 280 miles from Tampa to Tallahassee, Florida, while in 2008, he covered 250 miles from Tallahassee to Atlanta, Georgia. In the final leg of the trip, he walked 668 miles from Georgia to Washington D.C. Upon the completion of the "My House to the White House" project, Bonner planned another project, March Across America. From March 23 to September 14, 2010, he walked 2,448 miles from Tampa to Los Angeles. Starring Chandler Canterbury as Bonner, Little Red Wagon, a docudrama about Bonner's philanthropic work, was filmed in 2010 and released in 2012.
Contents
1 Philanthropy
1.1 My House to the White House
1.2 March Across America
1.3 Zach In A Box
1.4 Food for a Million
2 Awards and recognition
3 Philanthropy Project movie
4 Personal life
5 References
6 External links
Philanthropy[edit]
Main article: Little Red Wagon Foundation
Bonner with friends and Volunteer Florida staff members
Bonner has done a variety of volunteer work since he was six years old.[3] In 2004, when Hurricane Charley hit neighborhoods, he collected 27 pickup trucks of water in his little red wagon.[4] He established the Little Red Wagon Foundation to "continue helping kids more efficiently".[2] Bonner teamed up with the StandUp For Kids and collected 400 backpacks of supplies, nicknamed "Zachpacks", for homeless children. The Zachpacks were filled with donated snacks, toys, and toiletries. To date he has distributed over 10,000 of the Zachpacks.[5]
Bonner organized Christmas parties for homeless children living in Baker, Louisiana,[5] and he gave Christmas presents to Hurricane Katrina victims.[6] To mitigate the adverse effects of homelessness, Bonner hosted parties for children who live in shelters at Build-A-Bear Workshop, Chuck E. Cheese's, and Six Flags.[7]
In April 2007, he organized 24 Hours, an event that simulated being homeless for 24 hours. During that period of time, students in high school stayed in their own separate boxes for 24 hours.[8] 24 Hours 2015 was the seventh year of the event in which youths 12 to 21 years old each paid $24 to live in cardboard boxes for an hour to simulate being homeless.[9]
In January 2010, he launched a national campaign to end child homelessness. As keynote speaker at The Children's Philanthropy Center Annual Youth Symposium in Northern Virginia, he inspired young activists to use their voice to create change. The message, "You Matter! Let Your Voice Be Heard" became the signature anthem for their youth advocacy movement.[10]
My House to the White House[edit]
Zach Bonner's "My House to the White House" project took place in three stages covering 1,225 miles to raise awareness and funds for homeless children. The first leg in 2007 from November 3–26 covered 280 miles from Tampa to Tallahassee, Florida and raised $25,000.[11][12] The second leg in the fall of 2008 covered over 250 miles from Tallahassee to Atlanta, Georgia.[4]
The third leg of the trip began May 11, 2009.[13][14] The 668-mile, 59-day walk from Georgia to Washington D.C. was completed on July 10.[15] On the final stretch of the walk, 500 people, among them 300 homeless children, walked with Bonner down the National Mall.[16] Bonner met with Saxby Chambliss and spoke with several other U.S. Senators on Capitol Hill.[15] He slept at the Sasha Bruce emergency shelter.[17]
March Across America[edit]
There's an ancient Chinese proverb: 'A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.' Most people don't walk a thousand miles, or 2,500, but what it really means is that we all need to take that first step to get something big done. If I've helped even one homeless child, I hope I've accomplished that.
Zach Bonner on September 14, 2010[18]
In 2010, he walked from Tampa to Los Angeles.[17] Calling the trip "March Across America", he began the 2,478-mile walk on March 23, 2010.[19] Bonner walked an average of 17–22 miles every day.[20] During his walk, he gave gift cards to people in need.[21] Multiple television and radio stations tracked for their viewers Bonner's journey across America using the "Zach Tracker" GPS.[22] Lee Cowan of NBC Nightly News' "Making A Difference" profiled Bonner in early August; Cowan called Bonner a "pint-sized philanthropist".[21] On the show, Bonner said that "When you're having a bad day you (have) to realize that someone else is having a lot worse of a day than you."[21]
Bonner planned to complete the walk by September, after 178 days of walking.[23] On September 14, 2010, Bonner completed the nearly 2,500-mile-walk to Santa Monica, California.[24] At the age of 12, he became the youngest person to walk from the East Coast of the United States to the West Coast of the United States.[25][26]
Zach In A Box[edit]
Beginning March 26, 2013,[27] Bonner lived seven days in a 512 cubic feet (14.5 m3) plexiglas box in a field near Westfield Brandon mall.[27][28] With plywood serving as the box's bottom, pieces of cardboard, and a sleeping bag, Bonner aimed to imitate a homeless person's lodgings.[28]
Naming his fundraising effort "Zach In A Box", he encouraged people to donate nonperishable food. He wanted to coat all four walls of his box with donated canned food items.[28] After seven days of donations from children and adults as well as a $1,000 donation from Sweetbay Supermarket, Bonner gave over 6,000 cans of food to Metropolitan Ministries and Francis House.[27]
Food for a Million[edit]
From noon November 7, 2014, to noon November 8, 2014, at the Metropolitan Ministries' holiday tent in Tampa, Bonner hoped to set a Guinness World Record for amassing the most canned food items in 24 hours.[29][30] He organized "World's Largest Food Drive: Food for a Million" with Metropolitan Ministries and Feeding America Tampa Bay, an attempt to collect one million pounds of food in 24 hours.[30] Walmart, Winn-Dixie, Performance Food Group, and Publix promised to contribute food to the effort.[30]
The previous world record holder was a North Carolina school that collected 559,885 pounds of food in 2011. Bonner's "Food for a Million" drive collected 566,600 pounds.[31] The collected food was delivered to 10 counties: Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, Polk, Hernando, Citrus, Sumter, Highlands, Hardee, and Manatee.[32]
Awards and recognition[edit]
Bonner receives the President's Volunteer Service Award from President Bush
Bonner meets President Bush
In 2006, Zach has received the Presidential Service Award from President George W. Bush.[33] In the same year, he was honored with the Points of Light Award by Florida governor Jeb Bush for his volunteer service.[34] Bonner has met George W. Bush and Bill Clinton.[35] He has been featured on Good Morning America[36] and in 2011 was named a hometown hero by Reader's Digest.[37]
In 2007, Bonner was named one of 12 "Huggable Heroes" by the Build-A-Bear Workshop.[38][39] On March 19, 2008, he received the Alexandra Scott Butterfly Award from the Volvo for life Awards, hosted by Volvo on 42nd Street.[40] In 2009, the readers and editors of Beliefnet chose Bonner as the Most Inspiring Person of the Year. Receiving 22% of the vote, Bonner defeated the "hero pilot" Chesley Sullenberger and students in Iran who protested against a rigged election despite considerable jeopardy to their lives.[3]
Elton John donated $25,000 to Bonner's cause after Bonner completed the 1,200-mile-walk from Tampa, Florida, to Washington, D.C..[41]
Philanthropy Project movie[edit]
Main article: Little Red Wagon
Michael Guillen, the CEO of the non-profit organization Philanthropy Project, planned to make a $5 million movie about the Zach Bonner's walks and the Little Red Wagon Foundation.[15][41][42] Bonner's story was selected from among a pool of 6,000 candidates. After the number of candidates was narrowed to 12, Bonner's story was unanimously chosen.[43] Praising Bonner for his philanthropy, Guillen said that "[h]e's sincere. He's humble. He's generous. He's everything that is good about our country. So... when I see Zach, I see the future of our country, and I think we're going to be in good hands."[44]
Patrick Sheane Duncan is the movie's screenwriter, and David Anspaugh is its director.[43] The John Templeton Foundation funded the film which was produced by Michael Guillen of Philanthropy Project, Barbara Kelly, and Steve Golin and David Kanter of Anonymous Content.[45] Little Red Wagon was filmed in May 2010.[46]
Personal life[edit]
Zach L. Bonner[47] was born in Searcy, Arkansas[48] on November 17, 1997.[49][50] He lives in a single-parent household[20] after losing his father in a motorcycle accident[51] and now resides in Valrico, Tampa, Florida with his mother Laurie and sister Kelley.[34][52] Bonner's mother is a real estate agent and investor.[47] His sister is about 10 years older than him.[34]
Bonner took classes on the Internet through the K12 Florida Virtual Instruction Program. The online program allowed him to keep up in his studies by working outside of the typical school day.[50][53] In his free time in 2007, Bonner played little league baseball.[8] He also played tennis and went on bike rides with his friends.[35] When he was three years old, Bonner joined Taekwondo's junior program and after years of study, he subsequently earned a black belt.[53]
In a November 2007 interview with The Independent Florida Alligator, he said he wished to go to college at Harvard University and attend Yale Law School, so that he can become a prosecutor.[8] In a January 2013 interview with Canada.com, he confirmed that he still wanted to become a lawyer, noting that he was unsure about whether he wanted to be a prosecutor or specialize in family law.[53] That same month, he told The Christian Post that he wanted to study law to "be able to tie in the [Little Red Wagon] Foundation and continue to help more people".[54]
A February 2017 article in the Tampa Bay Times noted that Bonner attends the Brandon campus of Hillsborough Community College and works at Apple Inc.[55] He told the newspaper that he hopes to attend a California university, maybe the University of California, Berkeley, to allow him to pursue his goal of using social media and web design to increase people's donations.[55]
References[edit]
^ Jump up to: a b "Boy's walk raises money for homeless kids". United Press International. 2009-05-18. Archived from the original on 2009-06-11. Retrieved 2009-06-10.
^ Jump up to: a b c Bazar, Emily (2009-05-18). "Boy, 11, on trek to help homeless kids". USA Today. Archived from the original on 2009-06-11. Retrieved 2009-06-10.
^ Jump up to: a b Grossman, Cathy Lynn (2009-12-16). "Boy is Beliefnet's Most Inspiring". USA Today. Archived from the original on 2011-03-15. Retrieved 2011-03-15.
^ Jump up to: a b Stacy, Mitch (2009-05-09). "Florida boy, 11, walking to D.C. for homeless kids". WTOP-FM. Archived from the original on 2009-06-11. Retrieved 2009-06-11.
^ Jump up to: a b "Dana Perino Holds White House News Briefing Aboard Air Force One En Route to Florida". Congressional Quarterly. 2006-09-18. Archived from the original on 2013-08-29. Retrieved 2013-08-28. (subscription required)
Jump up ^ Meacham, Andrew (2007-11-04). "This kid is no mere follower". St. Petersburg Times. Archived from the original on 2009-06-11. Retrieved 2009-06-11.
Jump up ^ Newberg, Julie; Karaczan, Natasha (2012-10-23). "Homeless children to benefit from ASU Changemaker Central backpack drive". ASU News (Arizona State University). Archived from the original on 2013-08-29. Retrieved 2013-08-25.
^ Jump up to: a b c Frederick, Kori (2007-11-14). "Walking Wonder: Boy stops in Gainesville during 250-mile walk". The Independent Florida Alligator. Archived from the original on 2009-08-11. Retrieved 2009-06-12.
Jump up ^ Routen, Barbara (2015-04-01). "Two homeless simulations encourage empathy". The Tampa Tribune. Archived from the original on 2016-02-01. Retrieved 2016-02-01.
Jump up ^ Chandler, Michael Alison (2010-02-04). "Disaster in Haiti inspires myriad projects in Washington area schools". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 2011-12-08. Retrieved 2011-12-07.
Jump up ^ Morelli, Keith (2007-10-18). "Boy Plans 23-Day Trek For Homeless". The Tampa Tribune. Archived from the original on 2009-08-11. Retrieved 2009-06-10.
Jump up ^ An, Vickie (2007-12-21). "A Year of Giving: Little Red Wagon Boy". Time for Kids. Archived from the original on 2009-06-11. Retrieved 2009-06-11.
Jump up ^ "AOL and Philanthropy Project Launch Philanthropy Feature on AOL News". Business Wire. 2009-05-13. Archived from the original on 2009-06-11. Retrieved 2009-06-10.
Jump up ^ Ruebens, Lindsay (2009-06-03). "At 11, he's a veteran at helping others". The Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on 2009-06-11. Retrieved 2009-06-10.
^ Jump up to: a b c Simon, Mashaun D. (2009-07-10). "Boy, 11, walks 59 days and 668 miles for homeless". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Archived from the original on 2011-09-13. Retrieved 2009-07-12.
Jump up ^ Tang, Joyce C. (2009-07-10). "A Walk for Others". Time for Kids. Archived from the original on 2011-03-15. Retrieved 2011-03-15.
^ Jump up to: a b Parker, Beth (2009-07-09). "Fla. Boy Walks to D.C. for Homeless". Fox Broadcasting Company. Archived from the original on 2009-08-11. Retrieved 2009-07-12.
Jump up ^ "Florida youth to complete cross-country walk today in Santa Monica". Los Angeles Daily News. MediaNews Group. 2010-09-14. Archived from the original on 2010-09-16. Retrieved 2010-09-16.
Jump up ^ "Zach Bonner starts 'March Across America'". WTVT. 2010-03-23. Archived from the original on 2010-04-17. Retrieved 2010-04-17.
^ Jump up to: a b 邱晨 (2010-09-15). 穿越美国东西两岸 少年苦行为流浪儿童募款 [Traveling Through the U.S. from the East Coast to the West Coast, the Youngster Embarks on a Strenuous Walk to Raise Funds for Homeless Children]. 美国侨报 (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 2010-09-16. Retrieved 2010-09-16.
^ Jump up to: a b c Nicholson, Dave (2010-08-11). "Seffner boy's walk for homeless profiled on NBC". The Tampa Tribune. Archived from the original on 2011-09-13. Retrieved 2010-08-20.
Jump up ^ Pauley, Rebecca (2012). "A "Little Red Wagon" of Hope - Zach Bonner's Mission to Help Homeless Children". Kids News Inc. Archived from the original on 2013-08-26. Retrieved 2013-08-26.
Jump up ^ 劉芳 (2010-03-25). "十二歲慈善家 步行四千公里 募款助孤童". Yahoo!. Archived from the original on 2010-08-20. Retrieved 2010-08-20.
Jump up ^ "Zach Bonner wrapping up 'March Across America'". WTVT (Fox Television Stations). 2010-09-13. Archived from the original on 2010-09-16. Retrieved 2010-09-16.
Jump up ^ Fuller-Magee, Lisa; Holland, Catherine (2012-10-31). "Teen who inspired 'Little Red Wagon' movie in town to help homeless kids". KTVK. Archived from the original on 2013-08-26. Retrieved 2013-08-26.
Jump up ^ Graff, Amy (2016-11-21). "Man walking across the country arrives in San Francisco on Tuesday". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on 2017-03-23. Retrieved 2017-03-23.
^ Jump up to: a b c Johnston, Caitlin (2013-04-04). "Zach Bonner's latest project: life in a box". Tampa Bay Times. Archived from the original on 2013-05-22. Retrieved 2013-05-21.
^ Jump up to: a b c "Little Red Wagon founder Zach Bonner launches new fundraiser". Tampa Bay Times. 2013-03-29. Archived from the original on 2013-05-21. Retrieved 2013-05-21.
Jump up ^ Hooper, Ernest (2014-11-02). "Hooper: Zach Bonner tries for Guinness World Record food drive". Tampa Bay Times. Archived from the original on 2016-01-31. Retrieved 2016-01-31.
^ Jump up to: a b c Morelli, Keith (2014-10-14). "Metropolitan Ministries' food drive targets Guinness record". The Tampa Tribune. Archived from the original on 2016-01-31. Retrieved 2016-01-31.
Jump up ^ Routen, Barbara (2014-12-10). "Zach Bonner leads effort to break food-drive world record". The Tampa Tribune. Archived from the original on 2016-01-31. Retrieved 2016-01-31.
Jump up ^ "Zach Bonner beat the world record at noon today". WFTS-TV. 2014-11-08. Archived from the original on 2016-02-01. Retrieved 2016-01-31.
Jump up ^ Stein, Letitia (2006-09-21). "Valrico boy gets presidential award". St. Petersburg Times. Archived from the original on 2009-08-11. Retrieved 2009-06-12.
^ Jump up to: a b c Leone, Jared (2006-04-07). "Bush honors young philanthropist". St. Petersburg Times. Archived from the original on 2009-08-11. Retrieved 2009-06-12.
^ Jump up to: a b Van Dusen, Christine (2009-04-03). "Learning without limits: How the rise of online instruction is changing the nature of schooling". Oregon Virtual Schools. Archived from the original on 2009-08-11. Retrieved 2009-06-12.
Jump up ^ "11-year-old hiking to Washington will stop in Charlotte Wednesday". Salisbury Post. 2009-06-02. Archived from the original on 2009-08-11. Retrieved 2009-06-12.
Jump up ^ van der Meer, Natalie (February 2011). "Zachary Bonner: Walking Miles for Kids In Need". Reader's Digest. Archived from the original on 2013-08-29. Retrieved 2013-08-25.
Jump up ^ Hargus, Relma (2008-02-12). ""Huggable Hero" helps hurricane evacuees in BR". The Advocate. Archived from the original on 2011-09-13. Retrieved 2009-08-11.
Jump up ^ "2007 Huggable Heroes". Build-A-Bear Workshop. 2007. Archived from the original on 2009-08-11. Retrieved 2009-08-11.
Jump up ^ "Florida's Ten-Year-Old Zach Bonner Named Winner of Volvo's National Hometown Youth Hero Award for helping Katrina victims". Katrina News. 2008-02-20. Archived from the original on 2009-08-11. Retrieved 2009-06-12.
^ Jump up to: a b Kinzie, Susan (2009-07-17). "Young philanthropists win big donations". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 2009-08-11. Retrieved 2009-08-11.
Jump up ^ "Fla. boy, 11, walking to D.C. for homeless kids". Associated Press. 2009-05-08. Archived from the original on 2009-08-11. Retrieved 2009-06-12.
^ Jump up to: a b Routen, Barbara (2010-03-31). "Wagon to roll onto silver screen". The Tampa Tribune. Archived from the original on 2010-04-17. Retrieved 2010-04-17.
Jump up ^ Arja, Tanya (2010-03-24). "Fla. Boy Bringing Awareness to Homeless Kids". WJBK. Archived from the original on 2010-04-17. Retrieved 2010-04-17.
Jump up ^ Kilday, Greg (2010-03-04). "'Little Red Wagon' pic finds director". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 2010-08-20. Retrieved 2010-08-10.
Jump up ^ "Zach Bonner completes cross-country march on Sept. 14". Santa Clarita Valley Signal. 2010-09-10. Archived from the original on 2010-09-16. Retrieved 2010-09-16.
^ Jump up to: a b McKinley Jr., James C. (2010-07-28). "Founding a Charity at 6, and Walking Across the Country for It at 12". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2011-03-15. Retrieved 2011-03-15.
Jump up ^ Wright, Wendy (2012-11-01). "Little Red Wagon Movie Premieres in Mesa". Arizona Moms Network. Archived from the original on 2013-08-28. Retrieved 2013-08-28.
Jump up ^ Rau, Lisa (2012-11-12). "Little Red Wagon". WTSP. Archived from the original on 2013-08-29. Retrieved 2013-08-25.
^ Jump up to: a b Smith, Ben (2008-11-17). "11-year old walks from Florida to Atlanta for homeless". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Archived from the original on 2009-06-11. Retrieved 2009-06-12.
Jump up ^ DeKinder, Mathew (2012-11-09). "Review: 'Little Red Wagon' redeemed by subject matter". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Archived from the original on 2013-08-26. Retrieved 2013-08-26.
Jump up ^ "Zach Bonner: Little Red Wagon". WSTR. 2009-05-08. Archived from the original on 2009-08-11. Retrieved 2009-06-12.
^ Jump up to: a b c Andrews, Kenai (2013-01-08). "MMA Crossfire Conversations – Zach Bonner and the Little Red Wagon". Canada.com (Postmedia News). Archived from the original on 2013-08-29. Retrieved 2013-08-25.
Jump up ^ Koonse, Emma (2013-01-08). "Zach Bonner, 'Little Red Wagon' Teen". The Christian Post. Archived from the original on 2013-05-22. Retrieved 2013-05-21.
^ Jump up to: a b Hooper, Ernest (2017-02-19). "Hooper: Officials should ride the bus to get a look at transit flaws". Tampa Bay Times. Archived from the original on 2017-03-23. Retrieved 2017-03-23.
External links[edit]
Official website for Little Red Wagon Foundation
Zach Bonner on Twitter
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Zach_Bonner&oldid=854636453"
Categories:
Living people
1997 births
American child activists
American philanthropists
People from Valrico, Florida
Hidden categories:
Pages containing links to subscription-only content
CS1 uses Chinese-language script (zh)
CS1 Chinese-language sources (zh)
Articles with hCards
Twitter username different from Wikidata
Navigation menu
Personal tools
Not logged in
Talk
Contributions
Create account
Log in
Namespaces
Article
Talk
Variants
Views
Read
Edit
View history
More
Search
Navigation
Main page
Contents
Featured content
Current events
Random article
Donate to Wikipedia
Wikipedia store
Interaction
Help
About Wikipedia
Community portal
Recent changes
Contact page
Tools
What links here
Related changes
Upload file
Special pages
Permanent link
Page information
Wikidata item
Cite this page
Print/export
Create a book
Download as PDF
Printable version
In other projects
Wikimedia Commons
Languages
Português
Edit links
This page was last edited on 12 August 2018, at 19:48 (UTC).
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.
Privacy policy
About Wikipedia
Disclaimers
Contact Wikipedia
Developers
Cookie statement
Mobile view
Enable previews

key: html

type: local

value: div

attrs: id class

values: mw-page-base noprint

values: mw-head-base noprint

value: a

attrs: id class lang

values: firstHeading firstHeading en

values: siteSub noprint

attrs: class href

values: mw-jump-link #mw-head

values: mw-jump-link #p-search

value: span

value: th

attrs: colspan style

value: tr

value: img

attrs: alt src width height srcset data-file-width data-file-height

attrs: href class

value: td

attrs: href title

values:
/wiki/Non-profit_organization
mw-redirect
Non-profit organization

values:
/wiki/Presidential_Service_Award
mw-redirect
Presidential Service Award

values: checkbox button toctogglecheckbox toctogglecheckbox display:none

attrs: alt src width height class srcset data-file-width data-file-height

values:
/wiki/StandUp_For_Kids
mw-redirect
StandUp For Kids

values:
/wiki/High_school
mw-redirect
High school

values: Edit section: My House to the White House

values:
quotebox pullquote floatright
width:33%; ; background-color: #FFFFF0;

attrs: alt src width height class data-file-width data-file-height

values: Edit section: Philanthropy Project movie

values:
/wiki/Little_league_baseball
mw-redirect
Little league baseball

values: List of colleges and universities in California

values:
/wiki/St._Petersburg_Times
mw-redirect
St. Petersburg Times

values:
/wiki/MediaNews_Group
mw-redirect
MediaNews Group

values:
nofollow
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30644308/
external text

values:
/wiki/James_C._McKinley,_Jr.
mw-redirect
James C. McKinley, Jr.

values: -moz-column-width: 30em; -webkit-column-width: 30em; column-width: 30em; list-style-type: decimal;

values:
nofollow
external text
https://twitter.com/zach_bonner

values: Category:Pages containing links to subscription-only content

values: Category:CS1 uses Chinese-language script (zh)

values: Category:CS1 Chinese-language sources (zh)

values: Category:Twitter username different from Wikidata

values: Discussion about edits from this IP address [ctrl-alt-n]

values: A list of edits made from this IP address [ctrl-alt-y]

values: You are encouraged to create an account and log in; however, it is not mandatory

values: You're encouraged to log in; however, it's not mandatory. [ctrl-alt-o]

values:
/wiki/Zach_Bonner
View the content page [ctrl-alt-c]
c

values: Discussion about the content page [ctrl-alt-t]

values: p-namespaces navigation vectorTabs p-namespaces-label

values:
p-variants
navigation
vectorMenu emptyPortlet
p-variants-label

values: Past revisions of this page [ctrl-alt-h]

values: p-views navigation vectorTabs p-views-label

values:
p-cactions
navigation
vectorMenu emptyPortlet
p-cactions-label

values:
mw-wiki-logo
/wiki/Main_Page
Visit the main page

values:
/wiki/Main_Page
Visit the main page [ctrl-alt-z]
z

values: portal navigation p-wikibase-otherprojects p-wikibase-otherprojects-label

values: /static/images/wikimedia-button-1.5x.png 1.5x, /static/images/wikimedia-button-2x.png 2x

values: /static/images/poweredby_mediawiki_132x47.png 1.5x, /static/images/poweredby_mediawiki_176x62.png 2x

values:
suggestions
display: none; font-size: 13px;

values: mediawiki ltr sitedir-ltr mw-hide-empty-elt ns-0 ns-subject page-Zach_Bonner rootpage-Zach_Bonner skin-vector action-view


text:
Pokhran-II
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to navigation Jump to search
Pokhran-II
Operation Shakti
A cylindrical shaped nuclear bomb, Shakti I, prior to its detonation.
Information
Country
India
Test site
Pokhran Test Range, Rajasthan
Period
11–13 May 1998
Number of tests
5
Test type
Underground tests
Device type
Fission/fusion
Max. yield
43–45 kilotons of TNT (180–190 TJ) tested[1]
Test chronology
← Pokhran-I (Operation Smiling Buddha)
The Pokhran-II tests were a series of five nuclear bomb test explosions conducted by India at the Indian Army's Pokhran Test Range in May 1998.[2] It was the second instance of nuclear testing conducted by India; the first test, code-named Smiling Buddha, was conducted in May 1974.[3]
Pokhran-II consisted of five detonations, the first of which was a fusion bomb while the remaining four were fission bombs.[2] The tests were initiated on 11 May 1998, under the assigned code name Operation Shakti, with the detonation of one fusion and two fission bombs.[2] On 13 May 1998, two additional fission devices were detonated,[4] and the Indian government led by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee shortly convened a press conference to declare India a full-fledged nuclear state.[4] The tests resulted in a variety of sanctions against India by a number of major states, including Japan and the United States.[5]
Many names have been assigned to these tests; originally these were collectively called Operation Shakti–98, and the five nuclear bombs were designated Shakti-I through to Shakti-V. More recently, the operation as a whole has come to be known as Pokhran II, and the 1974 explosion as Pokhran-I.[4]
Contents
1 India's nuclear bomb project
1.1 Post-Smiling Buddha
2 Political momentum: 1988–1998
2.1 1998 Indian general elections
2.2 Preparations for the test
3 Nuclear weapon designs and development
3.1 Development and test teams
3.2 Movement and logistics
3.3 Specifications and detonation
3.4 Announcement
4 Reactions to tests
4.1 Domestic reactions
4.2 International reactions
4.2.1 United States
4.2.2 Canada, Japan, and other countries
4.2.3 China
4.2.4 Pakistan
4.3 U.N. sanctions
4.3.1 Effects on Indian economy
5 Legacy
6 In popular culture
7 See also
8 References
9 External links
India's nuclear bomb project[edit]
Efforts towards building the nuclear bomb, infrastructure, and research on related technologies have been undertaken by India since World War II. Origins of India's nuclear program dates back to 1944 when nuclear physicist Homi Bhabha began persuading the Indian Congress towards the harnessing of nuclear energy— a year later he established the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR).
In 1950s, the preliminary studies were carried out at the BARC and plans were developed to produce plutonium and other bomb components. In 1962, India and China engaged in the disputed northern front, and was further intimidated with Chinese nuclear test in 1964. Direction towards militarisation of the nuclear program slowed down when Vikram Sarabhai became its head and little interest of Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri in 1965.
After Indira Gandhi became Prime Minister in 1966, the nuclear program was consolidated when physicist Raja Ramanna joined the efforts. Another nuclear test by China eventually led to India's decision toward building nuclear weapons in 1967 and conducted its first nuclear test, Smiling Buddha, in 1974.[6]
Post-Smiling Buddha[edit]
Responding to Smiling Buddha, the Nuclear Suppliers Group severely affected the India's nuclear program.[7] The world's major nuclear powers imposed technological embargo on India and Pakistan, which was technologically racing to meet with India's challenge.[7] The nuclear program struggled for years to gain credibility and its progress crippled by the lack of indigenous resources and dependent on imported technology and technical assistance.[7] At IAEA, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi declared that India's nuclear program was not militarising despite authorising preliminary work on the hydrogen bomb design.[7]
As an aftermath of the state emergency in 1975 that resulted in the collapse of the Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's government, the nuclear program was left with a vacuum of political leadership and even basic management.[7] Work on the hydrogen bomb design continued under M. Srinivasan, a mechanical engineer, but progress was slow.[7]
The nuclear program received little attention from Prime Minister Morarji Desai who was renowned for his peace advocacy.[7] In 1978, Prime Minister Desai transferred physicist Ramanna to Indian MoD, and his government was not entirely without progress in nuclear program and had the program continue to grow at a desirable rate.[7][8]
Disturbing news came from Pakistan when the world discovered the Pakistan's clandestine atomic bomb program.[7] Contrary to India's nuclear program, Pakistan's atomic bomb program was akin to United States's Manhattan Project, it was under military oversight with civilian scientists in charge of the scientific aspects of the program.[7] The Pakistani atomic bomb program was well funded and organised by then; India realised that Pakistan was likely to succeed in its project in matter of two years.[7]
In 1980, the general elections marked the return of Indira Gandhi and the nuclear program began to gain momentum under Ramanna in 1981. Requests for additional nuclear tests were continued to be denied by the government when Prime Minister Indira Gandhi saw Pakistan began exercising the brinkmanship, though the nuclear program continued to advance.[7] Initiation towards hydrogen bomb began as well as the launch of the missile programme began under Late president Dr. Abdul Kalam, who was then an aerospace engineer.[7]
Political momentum: 1988–1998[edit]
During the 1998 Indian general election, BJP's Atal Bihari Vajpayee promised to carry out nuclear tests.
In 1989, the general elections witnessed the Janata Dal party led by V.P. Singh, forming the government.[9] Prime Minister V.P. Singh down played the relations with the Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto whose Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) won the general elections in 1988. Foreign relations between India and Pakistan began to severely worsen when India began charging Pakistan of supporting the militancy in Jammu and Kashmir.[9] During this time, the missile program succeeded in the development of the Prithvi missiles.
Successive governments in India decided to observe this temporary moratorium for fear of inviting international criticism.[7] The Indian public had been supportive towards the nuclear tests which ultimately led Prime Minister Narasimha Rao deciding to conduct further tests in 1995.[9] Plans were halted after American spy satellites picked up signs of preparations for nuclear testing at Pokhran Test Range in Rajasthan.[9] President Bill Clinton and his administration exerted enormous pressure on Prime Minister Narasimha Rao to stop the preparations.[9] Responding to India, Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto issued harsh and severe statements against India on Pakistan's news channels; thus putting stress on the relations between two countries.[10]
Diplomatic tension escalated between two countries when Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto raised the Kashmir issue at the United Nations in 1995[11][12].[13] In a speech delivered by then-Speaker National Assembly Yousaf Raza Gillani, stressed the "Kashmir issue" as continue to endanger the peace and security in the region.[13] The Indian delegation headed by Atal Bihari Vajpayee at the United Nations, reiterated that the "UN resolutions only call upon Pakistan— the occupying force to vacate the "Jammu and Kashmir Area."[13]
1998 Indian general elections[edit]
Main articles: Indian general election, 1998; Bharatiya Janata Party; Indian economy; and Indian politics
The BJP, came to power in 1998 general elections with an exclusive public mandate.[4] BJP's political might had been growing steadily in strength over the past decade over several issues.
In Pakistan, the similar conservative force, the PML(N), was also in power with an exclusive mandate led by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif who defeated the leftist PPP led by Benazir Bhutto in general elections held in 1997.[14] During the BJP campaign, Atal Bihari Vajpayee indulged in grandstanding— such as when he declared on 25 February that his government would "take back that part of Kashmir that is under Pakistan's control."[4] Before this declaration, the BJP platform had clear intention to "exercise the option to induct nuclear weapons" and "India should become an openly nuclear power to garner the respect on the world stage that India deserved."[4] By 18 March 1998, Vajpayee had publicly begun his lobbying for nuclear explosion and declared that "there is no compromise on national security; all options including the nuclear options will be exercised to protect security and sovereignty."[4]
Consultation began between Prime Minister Vajpayee, Dr.Abdul Kalam, R. Chidambaram and officials of the Indian DAE on nuclear options. Chidambaram briefed Prime Minister Vajpayee extensively on the nuclear program; Abdul Kalam presented the status of the missile program. On 28 March 1998, Prime Minister Vajpayee asked the scientists to make preparations in the shortest time possible, and preparations were hastily made.[15]
It was time of tense atmosphere when Pakistan, at a Conference on Disarmament, offered a peace rhetoric agreement with India for "an equal and mutual restraint in conventional, missile and nuclear fields."[4] Pakistan's equation was later reemphasised on 6 April and the momentum in India for nuclear tests began to build up which strengthened Vajpayee's position to order the tests.[4]
Preparations for the test[edit]
Main articles: CIA activities in India, ISI activities in India, and Indo-US Relations
The US Marine Intelligence maps showing the Indian test site, 1997.
Unlike Pakistan's weapon–testing laboratories, there was very little that India could do to hide its activity at Pokhran.[16] Contrary to high-altitude granite mountains in Pakistan, the bushes are sparse and the dunes in the Rajasthan Desert don't provide much cover from probing satellites.[16] The Indian intelligence had been aware of United States spy satellites and the American CIA had been detecting Indian test preparations since 1995; therefore, the tests required complete secrecy in India and also needed to avoid detection by other countries.[16] The 58th Engineer Regiment of Indian Army's Corps of Engineers was commissioned to prepare the test sites without being probed by the United States spy satellites. The 58th Engineer's commander Colonel Gopal Kaushik supervised the test preparations and ordered his "staff officers take all measures to ensure total secrecy."[16]
Extensive planning was done by a very small group of scientists, senior military officers and senior politicians to ensure that the test preparations would remain secret, and even senior members of the Indian government didn't know what was going on. The chief scientific adviser and the Director of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Dr. Abdul Kalam, and Dr. R. Chidambaram, the Director of the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), were the chief coordinators of this test planning.[4] The scientists and engineers of the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), the Atomic Minerals Directorate for Exploration and Research (AMDER), and the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) were involved in the nuclear weapon assembly, layout, detonation and obtaining test data.[4] A very small group of senior scientists were involved in the detonation process, all scientists were required to wear army uniforms to preserve the secrecy of the tests. Since 1995, the 58th Engineer Regiment had learned to avoid satellite detection.[4] Work was mostly done during night, and equipment was returned to the original place to give the impression that it was never moved.[4]
Bomb shafts were dug under camouflage netting and the dug-out sand was shaped like dunes. Cables for sensors were covered with sand and concealed using native vegetation.[4] Scientists would not depart for Pokhran in groups of two or three.[4] They travelled to destinations other than Pokhran under pseudonyms, and were then transported by the army. Technical staff at the test range wore military uniform, to prevent detection in satellite images.[16]
Nuclear weapon designs and development[edit]
Development and test teams[edit]
The main technical personnel involved in the operation were:[1]
Project Chief Coordinators
Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam (later, President of India), Scientific Adviser to the prime minister and Head of the DRDO.
Dr. R. Chidambaram, Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission and the Department of Atomic energy.
Defence Research & Development Organization (DRDO)
Dr. K. Santhanam; Director, Test Site Preparations.
Atomic Minerals Directorate for Exploration and Research
Dr. G. R. Dikshitulu; Senior Research Scientist B.S.O.I Group, Nuclear Materials Acquisition
Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC)
Dr. Anil Kakodkar, Director of BARC.
Dr. Satinder Kumar Sikka, Director; Thermonuclear Weapon Development.
Dr. M. S. Ramakumar, Director of Nuclear Fuel and Automation Manufacturing Group; Director, Nuclear Component Manufacture.
Dr. D.D. Sood, Director of Radiochemistry and Isotope Group; Director, Nuclear Materials Acquisition.
Dr. S.K. Gupta, Solid State Physics and Spectroscopy Group; Director, Device Design & Assessment.
Dr. G. Govindraj, Associate Director of Electronic and Instrumentation Group; Director, Field Instrumentation.
Movement and logistics[edit]
Main articles: Military logistics and Indian Army Corps of Engineers
The Thar Desert in the state of Rajasthan where the nuclear site, the Pokhran Test Range, is located.
Three laboratories of the DRDO were involved in designing, testing and producing components for the bombs, including the advanced detonators, the implosion and high-voltage trigger systems. These were also responsible for weaponising, systems engineering, aerodynamics, safety interlocks and flight trials.[1] The bombs were transported in four Indian Army trucks under the command of Colonel Umang Kapur; all devices from BARC were relocated at 3 am on 1 May 1998. From the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, the bombs were flown in an Indian Air Force's AN-32 plane to the Jaisalmer army base. They were transported to Pokhran in an army convoy of four trucks, and this required three trips. The devices were delivered to the device preparation building, which was designated as 'Prayer Hall'.[1]
The test sites was organised into two government groups and were fired separately, with all devices in a group fired at the same time. The first group consisted of the thermonuclear device (Shakti I), the fission device (Shakti II), and a sub-kiloton device (Shakti III). The second group consisted of the remaining two sub-kiloton devices Shakti IV and V. It was decided that the first group would be tested on 11 May and the second group on 13 May. The thermonuclear device was placed in a shaft code named 'White House', which was over 200 metres (660 ft) deep, the fission bomb was placed in a 150 metres (490 ft) deep shaft code named 'Taj Mahal', and the first sub-kiloton device in 'Kumbhkaran'. The first three devices were placed in their respective shafts on 10 May, and the first device to be placed was the sub-kiloton device in the 'Kumbhkaran' shaft, which was sealed by the army engineers by 8:30 pm. The thermonuclear device was lowered and sealed into the 'White House' shaft by 4 am, and the fission device being placed in the 'Taj Mahal' shaft was sealed at 7:30 am, which was 90 minutes before the planned test time. The shafts were L-shaped, with a horizontal chamber for the test device.[1]
The timing of the tests depended on the local weather conditions, with the wind being the critical factor. The tests were underground, but due to a number of shaft seal failures that had occurred during tests conducted by the United States, the Soviet Union, and the United Kingdom, the sealing of the shaft could not be guaranteed to be leak-proof. By early afternoon, the winds had died down and the test sequence was initiated. Dr. K. Santhanam of the DRDO, in charge of the test site preparations, gave the two keys that activated the test countdown to Dr. M. Vasudev, the range safety officer, who was responsible for verifying that all test indicators were normal. After checking the indicators, Vasudev handed one key each to a representative of BARC and the DRDO, who unlocked the countdown system together. At 3:45 pm the three devices were detonated.[1]
Specifications and detonation[edit]
Five nuclear devices were Made during Operation Shakti.[17] All devices were weapon-grade plutonium[1] and they were:[1]
Shakti I – A thermonuclear device yielding 45 kt, but designed for up to 200 kt.
Shakti II – A plutonium implosion design yielding 15 kt and intended as a warhead that could be delivered by bomber or missile. It was an improvement of the device detonated in the 1974 Smiling Buddha (Pokhran-I) test of 1974, developed using simulations on the PARAM supercomputer.
Shakti III – An experimental linear implosion design that used "non-weapon grade"[18] plutonium, but which likely omitted the material required for fusion, yielding 0.3 kt.
Shakti IV- A 0.5 kt experimental device.
Shakti V – A 0.2 kt experimental device.
An additional, sixth device (Shakti VI) is suspected to have been present but not detonated.[1]
At 3:43 pm IST; three nuclear bombs (specifically, the Shakti I, II and III) were detonated simultaneously, as measured by international seismic monitors.[4] On 13 May, at 12.21 p.m.IST 6:51 UTC, two sub-kiloton devices (Shakti IV and V) were detonated. Due to their very low yield, these explosions were not detected by any seismic station.[4] On 13 May 1998, India declared the series of tests to be over after this.[19]
Announcement[edit]
Following the Pokhran-II tests, India became the sixth country to join the nuclear club.[20] Shortly after the tests, a press meet was convened at the Prime Minister's residence in New Delhi. Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee appeared before the press corps and made the following short statement:
“ Today, at 15:45 hours, India conducted three underground nuclear tests in the Pokhran range. The tests conducted today were with a fission device, a low yield device and a thermonuclear device. The measured yields are in line with expected values. Measurements have also confirmed that there was no release of radioactivity into the atmosphere. These were contained explosions like the experiment conducted in May 1974. I warmly congratulate the scientists and engineers who have carried out these successful tests.[21] ”
Reactions to tests[edit]
Domestic reactions[edit]
News of the tests were greeted with jubilation and large-scale approval by society in India.[22] The Bombay Stock Exchange registered significant gains. Newspapers and television channels praised the government for its bold decision; editorials were full of praise for the country's leadership and advocated the development of an operational nuclear arsenal for the country's armed forces.[22] The Indian opposition, led by Congress Party criticised the Vajpayee administration for carrying out the series of nuclear tests.[22] The Congress Party spokesman, Salman Khursheed, accused the BJP of trying to use the tests for political ends rather than to enhance the country's national security.[22]
By the time India had conducted tests, the country had a total of $44bn in loans in 1998, from IMF and the World Bank.[23] The industrial sectors of the Indian economy such as the chemicals industry, were likely to be hurt by sanctions.[23] The Western consortium companies, which had invested heavily in India, especially in construction, computing and telecoms, were generally the ones who were harmed by the sanctions.[23] In 1998, Indian government announced that it had already allowed for some economic response and was willing to take the consequences.[23]
International reactions[edit]
United States[edit]
The United States issued a strong statement condemning India and promised that sanctions would follow. The American intelligence community was embarrassed as there had been "a serious intelligence failure of the decade" in detecting the preparations for the test.[24]
In keeping with its preferred approach to foreign policy in recent decades, and in compliance with the 1994 anti-proliferation law, the United States imposed economic sanctions on India.[5] The sanctions on India consisted of cutting off all assistance to India except humanitarian aid, banning the export of certain defence material and technologies, ending American credit and credit guarantees to India, and requiring the US to oppose lending by international financial institutions to India.[25]
From 1998–1999, the United States held series of bilateral talks with India over the issue of India becoming party of the CTBT and NPT.[26] In addition, the United States also made an unsuccessful attempt of holding talks regarding the rollback of India's nuclear program.[27] India took a firm stand against the CTBT and refusing to be signatory party of it despite under pressure by the US President Bill Clinton, and noted the treaty as it was not consistent with India's national security interest.[27]
Canada, Japan, and other countries[edit]
Strong criticism was drawn from Canada on India's actions and its High Commissioner.[28] Sanctions were also imposed by Japan on India and consisted of freezing all new loans and grants except for humanitarian aid to India.[29]
Some other nations also imposed sanctions on India, primarily in the form of suspension of foreign aid to India and government-to-government credit lines.[30] However, the United Kingdom, France, and Russia refrained from condemning India.[30]
China[edit]
On 12 May the Chinese Foreign Ministry stated: "The Chinese government is seriously concerned about the nuclear tests conducted by India," and that the tests "run counter to the current international trend and are not conducive to peace and stability in South Asia.".[31] The next day the Chinese Foreign Ministry issued the statement clearly stating that "it is shocked and strongly condemned" the Indian nuclear tests and called for the international community to "adopt a unified stand and strongly demand that India immediate stop development of nuclear weapons".[32] China further rejected India's stated rationale of needing nuclear capabilities to counter a Chinese threat as "totally unreasonable".[32] In a meeting with Masayoshi Takemura of Democratic Party of Japan, Foreign Minister of the People's Republic of China Qian Qichen was quoted as saying that India's nuclear tests were a "serious matter," particularly because they were conducted in light of the fact that more than 140 countries have signed the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. "It is even more unacceptable that India claims to have conducted the tests to counter what it called a "China threat".[32] On 24 November 1998, the Chinese Embassy, New Delhi issued a formal statement:
(sic).... But regrettably, India conducted nuclear tests last May, which has run against the contemporary historical trend and seriously affected peace and stability in South Asia. Pakistan also conducted nuclear tests later on. India's nuclear tests have not only led to the escalation of tensions between India and Pakistan and provocation of nuclear arms races in South Asia, but also dealt a heavy blow to international nuclear disarmament and the global nonproliferation regime. It is only natural that India's nuclear tests have met with extensive condemnation and aroused serious concern from the international community.
—  Chinese Embassy, New Delhi[33]
Pakistan[edit]
Main article: India-Pakistan relations
The most vehement and strong reaction to India's nuclear explosion was from a neighbouring country, Pakistan. Great ire was raised in Pakistan, which issued a severe statement blaming India for instigating a nuclear arms race in the region.[4] Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif vowed that his country would give a suitable reply to India.[4] The day after the first tests, Foreign Minister Gohar Ayub Khan indicated that Pakistan was ready to conduct a nuclear test. He stated: "Pakistan is prepared to match India, we have the capability.... We in Pakistan will maintain a balance with India in all fields", he said in an interview. "We are in a headlong arms race on the subcontinent."[4]
On 13 May 1998, Pakistan bitterly condemned the tests, and Foreign Minister Gohar Ayub was quoted as saying that Indian leadership seemed to "have gone berserk [sic] and was acting in a totally unrestrained way."[34] Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was much more subdued, maintaining ambiguity about whether a test would be conducted in response: "We are watching the situation and we will take appropriate action with regard to our security", he said.[4] Sharif sought to mobilise the entire Islamic world in support of Pakistan and criticised India for nuclear proliferation.[4]
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had been under intense pressure regarding the nuclear tests by President Bill Clinton and Opposition leader Benazir Bhutto at home.[35] Initially surprising the world, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif authorised nuclear testing program and the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) carried out nuclear testings under the codename Chagai-I on 28 May 1998 and Chagai-II on 30 May 1998. These six underground nuclear tests at the Chagai and Kharan test site were conducted fifteen days after India's last test. The total yield of the tests was reported to be 40 kt (see codename: Chagai-I).[36]
Pakistan's subsequent tests invited similar condemnation from the United States.[37] American President Bill Clinton was quoted as saying "Two wrongs don't make a right", criticising Pakistan's tests as reactionary to India's Pokhran-II.[35] The United States and Japan reacted by imposing economic sanctions on Pakistan. According to the Pakistan's science community, the Indian nuclear tests gave an opportunity to Pakistan to conduct nuclear tests after 14 years of conducting only cold tests (See: Kirana-I).[38]
Pakistan's leading nuclear physicist, Pervez Hoodbhoy, held India responsible for Pakistan's nuclear test experiments in Chagai.[39]
U.N. sanctions[edit]
Main article: United Nations Security Council Resolution 1172
The reactions from abroad started immediately after the tests were advertised. On 6 June, the United Nations Security Council adopted Resolution 1172 condemning the test and that of Pakistan's.[40] China issued a vociferous condemnation calling upon the international community to exert pressure on India to sign the NPT and eliminate its nuclear arsenal. With India joining the group of countries possessing nuclear weapons, a new strategic dimension had emerged in Asia, particularly South Asia.[40]
Effects on Indian economy[edit]
Overall, the effect of international sanctions on Indian economy was minimal; the technological progress was marginal. Most nations did not call for embargoes against India as the exports and imports together constituted only 4.0% of its GDP, with United States trade accounting for only 10.0% of this total. Far more significant were the restrictions on lending imposed by the United States and its representatives on international finance bodies. Most of the sanctions were lifted within five years.
Legacy[edit]
Main article: Public holidays in India
The Indian government has officially declared the 11 May as National Technology Day in India to commemorate the first of the five nuclear tests that were carried out on 11 May 1998.[41]
It was officially signed by then-Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 1998 and the day is celebrated by giving awards to various individuals and industries in the field of science and technology.[41]
In popular culture[edit]
Parmanu: The Story of Pokhran is a 2018 Bollywood movie based on India's underground Pokhran-II nuclear test.
See also[edit]
India and weapons of mass destruction
Pokhran-I – First nuclear test explosion by India on 18 May 1974
References[edit]
^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i "India's Nuclear Weapons Program – Operation Shakti: 1998". nuclearweaponarchive.org. 30 March 2001. Retrieved 21 July 2012.
^ Jump up to: a b c CNN India Bureau (17 May 1998). "India releases pictures of nuclear tests". CNN India Bureau, 1998. CNN India Bureau. Retrieved 14 June 2015.
Jump up ^ "Official press release by India". meadev.gov.in/. Ministry of External Affairs, 1998. Retrieved 14 June 2015.
^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v et. al. "The nuclear politics: The 1998 Election". Nuclear weapon archives. Nuclear politics. Retrieved 16 January 2013.
^ Jump up to: a b BBC Release (13 May 1998). "US imposes sanctions on India". BBC America. Retrieved 17 January 2013.
Jump up ^ Bates, Crispin (2007). Subalterns and Raj: South Asia Since 1600. Routledge. p. 343. ISBN 978-0-415-21484-1.
^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Sublette, Carey. "The Long Pause: 1974–1989". nuclearweaponarchive.org. Retrieved 14 November 2011.
Jump up ^ Chengappa, Raj (2000). Weapons of peace : the secret story of India's quest to be a nuclear power. New Delhi: Harper Collins Publishers, India. pp. 219–220. ISBN 81-7223-330-2.
^ Jump up to: a b c d e weapon archive. "The Momentum builds". Nuclear weapon Archive. Retrieved 14 November 2011.
Jump up ^ CNN (4 January 1996). "India wants to divert attention from N-test plan". Dawn Archives. Retrieved 16 January 2013.
Jump up ^ "UN General Assembly – 11th Meeting official records" (PDF). documents-dds-ny.un.org. Retrieved 2018-05-24.
Jump up ^ Team, ODS. "UN General Assembly – 10th Meeting official records" (PDF). documents-dds-ny.un.org. Retrieved 2018-05-24.
^ Jump up to: a b c Masood Haider (5 September 1995). "Pakistan's raising of Kashmir issue upsets India". Dawn. Retrieved 19 November 2011.
Jump up ^ See: Pakistani general elections, 1997
Jump up ^ (PTI), Press Trust of India. "Pokhran II row: Sethna slams Kalam, Iyengar says tests were done in haste". DNA News. dna news. Retrieved 15 November 2011.
^ Jump up to: a b c d e "Books: Weapons of Peace – How the CIA was Fooled". India Today.
Jump up ^ "Forces gung-ho on N-arsenal". The Times of India. Retrieved 21 July 2012.
Jump up ^ Note: While the plutonium used in Shakti III has been reported in some sources as "reactor-grade", it may have been fuel-grade, which is intermediate between the former and weapons-grade; cf. Why You Can’t Build a Bomb From Spent Fuel Archived 20 May 2012 at the Wayback Machine.
Jump up ^ Press Release (13 May 1998). "Planned Series of Nuclear Tests Completed". Indian Government <http://www.indiagov.org/news/official/19980516/official.htm>. Ministry of External Affairs. Retrieved 17 January 2013. External link in |work= (help)
Jump up ^ BBC Report (13 May 1998). "Asia's nuclear challenge: Third World joins the nuclear club". BBC India 1998. Retrieved 17 January 2013.
Jump up ^ "Prime Minister's announcement of India's three underground nuclear tests". Fas.org. Retrieved 31 January 2013.
^ Jump up to: a b c d Lyon, David (31 May 1998). "India detonates two more bombs". BBC India, 1998 (Follow up). Retrieved 17 January 2013.
^ Jump up to: a b c d BBC Reports (1 June 1998). "India – will sanctions bite?". BBC Economic review. Retrieved 17 January 2013.
Jump up ^ Weiner, T. (13 May 1998). "Nuclear anxiety: The Blunders; U.S. Blundered On Intelligence, Officials Admit". The New York Times. Retrieved 17 January 2013.
Jump up ^ "U.S. imposes sanctions on India". CNN.
Jump up ^ Chandrasekharan, S. "CTBT : where does India stand?". southasiaanalysis.org/. South Asia analysis. Retrieved 10 June 2015.
^ Jump up to: a b "Clarifying India's Nascent Nuclear Doctrine". armscontrol.org/. arms control interview. Retrieved 10 June 2015.
Jump up ^ http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-sundaymagazine/east-meets-far-east/article6365598.ece
Jump up ^ "U.S. lifts final sanctions on Pakistan". CNN. 29 October 2001. Archived from the original on 3 April 2012.
^ Jump up to: a b Charan D. Wadhva (27 June – 3 July 1998). "Costs of Economic Sanctions: Aftermath of Pokhran II". Economic and Political Weekly. 33 (26): 1604–1607. JSTOR 4406922.
Jump up ^ "China is 'Seriously Concerned' But Restrained in Its Criticism,". New York Times, 13 May 1998. 13 May 1998. |access-date= requires |url= (help)
^ Jump up to: a b c Resources on India and Pakistan (1999). "China's Reaction to India's Nuclear Tests". CNS Center for Nonproliferation Studies Monterey Institute of International Studies. Archived from the original on 3 January 2013. Retrieved 15 May 2012.
Jump up ^ Active Correspondents (24 November 1998). "India-China Claim 'active approach". The Hindu, 24/xi-1998. |access-date= requires |url= (help)
Jump up ^ Special Report (13 May 1998). "Pakistan condemns India's nuclear tests". BBC Pakistan. Retrieved 18 January 2013.
^ Jump up to: a b Gertz, Bill (2013). Betrayal: How the Clinton Administration Undermined American Security. Washington DC: Regnery Publishing. ISBN 1-62157-137-8.
Jump up ^ See Chagai-I
Jump up ^ cns.miis.edu at the Library of Congress Web Archives (archived 2001-11-18)
Jump up ^ "Pakistan's tests". Retrieved 18 January 2013.
Jump up ^ Hoodbhoy, PhD (Nuclear Physics), Pervez Amerali (23 January 2011). "Nuclear Bayonet". Dr. Pervez Hoodbhoy, Doctor of Philosophy (Nuclear Physics), Professor of Nuclear and High-Energy Physics at the Quaid-e-Azam University and Senior academic research scientist at the National Center for Nuclear Physics. Dr. Prof. Pervez Amerali Hoodbhoy and The Herald.
^ Jump up to: a b Dittmer, L., ed. (2005). South Asia's nuclear security dilemma: India, Pakistan, and China. Armonk, NY: Sharpe. ISBN 978-0-7656-1419-3.
^ Jump up to: a b Press Information Bureau (11 May 2008). "National technology day celebrated". Department of Science and Technology. Archived from the original on 15 December 2010. Retrieved 9 January 2011.
External links[edit]
Nuclear Weapons Archive: Operation Shakti
India aborted nuclear bomb plans in 1994
Sumit Ganguly (Spring 1999). "India's Pathway to Pokhran II: The Prospects and Sources of New Delhi's Nuclear Weapons Program". International Security. 23 (4): 148–177. doi:10.1162/isec.23.4.148. JSTOR 2539297.
Chengappa, Raj. How the CIA was Fooled written by Raj Chengappa (Weapons of peace). India Today. Retrieved 24 June 2012.
Coordinates: 27°04′44″N 71°43′20″E / 27.07884°N 71.722113°E / 27.07884; 71.722113
show
v
t
e
Pokhran-II (Operation Shakti)
Sites
58th Regiment of the Army Engineering Corps
Pokhran
CIRUS reactor
Department of Atomic Energy
Rajasthan
Trombay
Research Institutes
Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO)
Terminal Ballistics Research Laboratory (TBRL)
High Energy Materials Research Laboratory (HEMRL)
Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC)
Administrators
Atal Bihari Vajpai
George Fernandes
Brajesh Mishra
Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana
Ved Prakash Malik
Jaswant Singh
Saleem Iqbal Shervani
K. Subrahmanyam
Scientists
Raja Ramanna
Homi Sethna
A. P. J. Abdul Kalam
Satinder Kumar Sikka
K. Santhanam
Waman Dattatreya Patwardhan
P. K. Iyengar
Rajagopala Chidambaram
Ravi Grover
Anil Kakodkar
M. P. Parameswaran
Srikumar Banerjee
D.D. Sood
M.S. Ramkumar
Related
articles
India and weapons of mass destruction
History of nuclear weapons
Pokhran-I
Trinity expolsion
Tsar Bomba
Operation Shakti
Chagai-I
Test No. 6
See also: Nuclear power in India
show
v
t
e
Military of India
Indian Army
Indian Navy
Indian Air Force
Leadership
Chief of the Army Staff
Chief of the Naval Staff
Chief of the Air Staff
Minister of Defence
Topics
History
Academies
Ranks and insignia
Army
Air Force
Navy
Special Forces
Indian Peace Keeping Force
Paramilitary forces
Andaman and Nicobar Command
Strategic Forces Command
Nuclear Command Authority
Ballistic missiles
Weapons of mass destruction
Defence Research and Development Organisation
Ordnance Factories Board
Territorial Army
National Cadet Corps
Wars and
conflicts
Indo-Pakistani wars
1947–1948
1965
1971
Operation Polo
Congo Crisis
Operation Vijay
Operation Trident
Sino-Indian War
Cho La incident
Siachen conflict
Blue Star
Woodrose
1987 Sino-Indian skirmish
Indian intervention in the Sri Lankan Civil War
Operation Cactus
Kargil War
Kashmir insurgency
Operation Parakram
Piracy off the coast of Somalia
Category
Army
Navy
Air Force
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pokhran-II&oldid=862950617"
Categories:
Indian nuclear weapons testing
1998 in India
1998 in military history
Pokaran
Vajpayee administration initiatives
Underground nuclear weapons testing
Code names
1998 in science
Political history of India
Nuclear history of India
Politics of India
A. P. J. Abdul Kalam
May 1998 events
Hidden categories:
Webarchive template wayback links
CS1 errors: external links
Pages using citations with accessdate and no URL
Webarchive template other archives
Use Indian English from December 2016
All Wikipedia articles written in Indian English
Use dmy dates from December 2016
Coordinates on Wikidata
Navigation menu
Personal tools
Not logged in
Talk
Contributions
Create account
Log in
Namespaces
Article
Talk
Variants
Views
Read
Edit
View history
More
Search
Navigation
Main page
Contents
Featured content
Current events
Random article
Donate to Wikipedia
Wikipedia store
Interaction
Help
About Wikipedia
Community portal
Recent changes
Contact page
Tools
What links here
Related changes
Upload file
Special pages
Permanent link
Page information
Wikidata item
Cite this page
Print/export
Create a book
Download as PDF
Printable version
Languages
বাংলা
भोजपुरी
Français
한국어
हिन्दी
മലയാളം
मराठी
日本語
සිංහල
Suomi
தமிழ்
తెలుగు
Tiếng Việt
4 more
Edit links
This page was last edited on 7 October 2018, at 19:26 (UTC).
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.
Privacy policy
About Wikipedia
Disclaimers
Contact Wikipedia
Developers
Cookie statement
Mobile view
Enable previews

values: mw-page-base noprint

values: mw-head-base noprint

values: firstHeading firstHeading en

values: siteSub noprint

values: mw-jump-link #mw-head

values: mw-jump-link #p-search

value: i

attrs: alt src width height data-file-width data-file-height

attrs: href class title

values:
/wiki/Cylinder_(geometry)
mw-redirect
Cylinder (geometry)

values:
/wiki/Pokhran_Test_Range
mw-redirect
Pokhran Test Range

values:
/wiki/Underground_nuclear_testing
mw-redirect
Underground nuclear testing

values: width:100% float: left; text-align:left;padding-right:0.5em;padding-right:1em;

values:
/wiki/Nuclear_bomb
mw-redirect
Nuclear bomb

values:
/wiki/Fusion_bomb
mw-redirect
Fusion bomb

values:
/wiki/Fission_bomb
mw-redirect
Fission bomb

values: United Nations Security Council Resolution 1172

values: checkbox button toctogglecheckbox toctogglecheckbox display:none

values: Edit section: India's nuclear bomb project

values:
/wiki/Indian_nuclear_programme
mw-redirect
Indian nuclear programme

values:
/wiki/Nuclear_Physics
mw-redirect
Nuclear Physics

values:
/wiki/People%27s_Republic_of_China
mw-redirect
People's Republic of China

values:
/wiki/Northern_India
mw-redirect
Northern India

values:
/wiki/Indian_Prime_Minister
mw-redirect
Indian Prime Minister

values:
/wiki/Teller-Ulam_design
mw-redirect
Teller-Ulam design

values:
/wiki/M.R._Srinivasan
mw-redirect
M.R. Srinivasan

values: Pakistan and weapons of mass destruction

values:
/wiki/Nuclear_test
mw-redirect
Nuclear test

values:
/wiki/Nuclear_brinksmanship
mw-redirect
Nuclear brinksmanship

values:
/wiki/Indian_Missile_Program
mw-redirect
Indian Missile Program

values: Edit section: Political momentum: 1988–1998

values:
/wiki/Vishwanath_Pratap_Singh
mw-redirect
Vishwanath Pratap Singh

values:
/wiki/India-Pakistan_Relations
mw-redirect
India-Pakistan Relations

values:
/wiki/Pakistani_general_elections,_1988
mw-redirect
Pakistani general elections, 1988

values:
/wiki/P.V._Narasimha_Rao
mw-redirect
P.V. Narasimha Rao

values:
/wiki/Evolved_Enhanced_CRYSTAL
mw-redirect
Evolved Enhanced CRYSTAL

values:
/wiki/Nuclear_testing
mw-redirect
Nuclear testing

values:
/wiki/Clinton_administration
mw-redirect
Clinton administration

values:
/wiki/News_channels_in_Pakistan
mw-redirect
News channels in Pakistan

values:
/wiki/India_and_Pakistan
mw-redirect
India and Pakistan

values:
/wiki/Kashmir_problem
mw-redirect
Kashmir problem

values: Speaker of the National Assembly of Pakistan

values: Edit section: 1998 Indian general elections

values:
/wiki/Indian_economy
mw-redirect
Indian economy

values:
/wiki/Indian_politics
mw-redirect
Indian politics

values:
/wiki/Power_(politics)
mw-redirect
Power (politics)

values:
/wiki/Pakistan_Kashmir
mw-redirect
Pakistan Kashmir

values:
/wiki/APJ_Abdul_Kalam
mw-redirect
APJ Abdul Kalam

values:
/wiki/R._Chidambaram
mw-redirect
R. Chidambaram

values:
/wiki/ISI_activities_in_India
mw-redirect
ISI activities in India

values:
/wiki/Indo-US_Relations
mw-redirect
Indo-US Relations

values:
/wiki/Nuclear_test_site
mw-redirect
Nuclear test site

values:
/wiki/High-altitude_platform
mw-redirect
High-altitude platform

values:
/wiki/Mountain_ranges_of_Pakistan
mw-redirect
Mountain ranges of Pakistan

values:
/wiki/Rajasthan_Desert
mw-redirect
Rajasthan Desert

values:
/wiki/Surveillance_satellite
mw-redirect
Surveillance satellite

values:
/wiki/Indian_Intelligence_Agency
mw-redirect
Indian Intelligence Agency

values:
/wiki/American_CIA
mw-redirect
American CIA

values: 58th Engineer Regiment (India) (page does not exist)

values:
/wiki/Indian_government
mw-redirect
Indian government

values: Defence Research and Development Organisation

values:
/wiki/A.P.J._Abdul_Kalam
mw-redirect
A.P.J. Abdul Kalam

values: Edit section: Nuclear weapon designs and development

values: Edit section: Development and test teams

values: Defence Research & Development Organization

values: Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport

values: Edit section: Specifications and detonation

values:
/wiki/Implosion-type_nuclear_weapon
mw-redirect
Implosion-type nuclear weapon

values:
/wiki/Implosion_nuclear_weapon
mw-redirect
Implosion nuclear weapon

values:
/wiki/Nuclear_club
mw-redirect
Nuclear club

values: width: 20px; vertical-align: top; border: none; color: #B2B7F2; font-size: 40px; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: .6em; text-align: left; padding: 10px 10px;

values: vertical-align: top; border: none; padding: 4px 10px;

values: width: 20px; vertical-align: bottom; border: none; color: #B2B7F2; font-size: 40px; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: .6em; text-align: right; padding: 10px 10px;

values: margin:auto; border-collapse: collapse; border: none; background-color: transparent; width: auto;

values:
/wiki/Vajpayee_Government
mw-redirect
Vajpayee Government

values:
/wiki/Salman_Khursheed
mw-redirect
Salman Khursheed

values:
/wiki/Bharatiya_Janta_Party
mw-redirect
Bharatiya Janta Party

values:
/wiki/US_intelligence_community
mw-redirect
US intelligence community

values: Foreign policy of the Clinton administration

values: History of the United States (1991–present)

values: Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons

values:
/wiki/Party_(politics)
mw-redirect
Party (politics)

values:
/wiki/Comprehensive_Test_Ban_Treaty
mw-redirect
Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty

values:
/wiki/Non-Proliferation_Treaty
mw-redirect
Non-Proliferation Treaty

values:
/wiki/United_States_President
mw-redirect
United States President

values: Edit section: Canada, Japan, and other countries

values: List of Ambassadors and High Commissioners of Canada

values:
/wiki/Chinese_Foreign_Ministry
mw-redirect
Chinese Foreign Ministry

values:
/wiki/Democratic_Party_of_Japan
mw-redirect
Democratic Party of Japan

values: Foreign Minister of the People's Republic of China

values: List of diplomatic missions of the People's Republic of China

values:
/wiki/India-Pakistan_relations
mw-redirect
India-Pakistan relations

values:
/wiki/Islamic_world
mw-redirect
Islamic world

values:
/wiki/Political_pressure
mw-redirect
Political pressure

values:
/wiki/US_President
mw-redirect
US President

values:
/wiki/Nuclear_physicist
mw-redirect
Nuclear physicist

values:
/wiki/Pakistani_general_elections,_1997
mw-redirect
Pakistani general elections, 1997

values:
nofollow
external text
//www.jstor.org/stable/4406922

values:
/wiki/Pervaiz_Hoodbhoy
mw-redirect
Pervaiz Hoodbhoy

values:
/wiki/National_Center_for_Physics
mw-redirect
National Center for Physics

values:
/wiki/The_Herald_(Pakistan)
mw-redirect
The Herald (Pakistan)

values: -moz-column-width: 35em; -webkit-column-width: 35em; column-width: 35em; list-style-type: decimal;

values:
nofollow
external text
//doi.org/10.1162%2Fisec.23.4.148

values:
nofollow
external text
//www.jstor.org/stable/2539297

values: Maps, aerial photos, and other data for this location

values: Template talk:Pokhran-II (page does not exist)

values: High Energy Materials Research Laboratory

values: Satinder Kumar Sikka (page does not exist)

values: nowraplinks collapsible autocollapse navbox-inner mw-collapsible mw-made-collapsible mw-collapsed

values:
/wiki/File:Flag_of_Indian_Army.svg
image
Indian Army seal

values:
/wiki/File:Naval_Ensign_of_India.svg
image
Indian Navy seal

values: Integrated Guided Missile Development Program

values:
/wiki/Cho_La_incident
mw-redirect
Cho La incident

values: Indian intervention in the Sri Lankan Civil War

attrs: alt src title width height srcset data-file-width data-file-height

values: nowraplinks hlist collapsible autocollapse navbox-inner mw-collapsible mw-made-collapsible mw-collapsed

values: Category:Underground nuclear weapons testing

values: Category:Webarchive template wayback links

values: Category:Pages using citations with accessdate and no URL

values: Category:Webarchive template other archives

values: Category:Use Indian English from December 2016

values: Category:All Wikipedia articles written in Indian English

values: Category:Use dmy dates from December 2016

values: Discussion about edits from this IP address [ctrl-alt-n]

values: A list of edits made from this IP address [ctrl-alt-y]

values:
/wiki/Pokhran-II
View the content page [ctrl-alt-c]
c

values: Featured content – the best of Wikipedia

values: Find background information on current events

values:
/wiki/Special:Random
Load a random article [ctrl-alt-x]
x

values: portal navigation p-navigation p-navigation-label

values: Guidance on how to use and edit Wikipedia

values: About the project, what you can do, where to find things

values: A list of recent changes in the wiki [ctrl-alt-r]

values: portal navigation p-interaction p-interaction-label

values: List of all English Wikipedia pages containing links to this page [ctrl-alt-j]

values: Recent changes in pages linked from this page [ctrl-alt-k]

values:
/wiki/Wikipedia:File_Upload_Wizard
Upload files [ctrl-alt-u]
u

values: A list of all special pages [ctrl-alt-q]

values: Permanent link to this revision of the page

values: Link to connected data repository item [ctrl-alt-g]

values: Printable version of this page [ctrl-alt-p]

values: পোখরান-২ – Bangla

values:
interlanguage-link interwiki-bh
display: none;

values: 포카란 2차 핵 실험 – Korean

values: ഓപ്പറേഷൻ ശക്തി – Malayalam

values:
interlanguage-link interwiki-ml
display: none;

values: पोखरण २ – Marathi

values:
interlanguage-link interwiki-si
display: none;

values:
interlanguage-link interwiki-fi
display: none;

values: சக்தி நடவடிக்கை – Tamil

values: పోఖ్రాన్-II – Telugu

values: All languages (initial selection from common choices by you and others)

values: mediawiki ltr sitedir-ltr mw-hide-empty-elt ns-0 ns-subject page-Pokhran-II rootpage-Pokhran-II skin-vector action-view