The
Effects
of
Nuclear
Weapons
Compiled and edited by
Samuel Glasstone and Philip J. Dolan
Third Edition
Prepared and published by the
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
and the
ENERGY RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT ADMINISTRATION
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1977
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J!'or sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing OlBce
Washln~ton. D.C. 20402
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PREFACE
When "The Effects of Atomic Weapons" was published in 1950, the explosive
energy yields of the fission bombs available at that time were equivalent to some
thousands of tons (i.e., kilotons) of TNT. With the development of thermonuclear
(fusion) weapons, having energy yields in the range of millions of tons (i.e.,
megatons) of TNT, a new presentation, entitled "The Effects of Nuclear Weap-
ons," was issued in 1957. A completely revised edition was published in 1962 and
this was reprinted with a few changes early in 1964.
Since the last version of "The Effects of Nuclear Weapons" was prepared, much
new information has become available concerning nuclear weapons effects. This
has come in part from the series of atmospheric tests, including several at very high
altitudes, conducted in the Pacific Ocean area in 1962. In addition, laboratory
studies, theoretical calculations, and computer simulations have provided a better
understanding of the various effects. Within the limits imposed by security re-
quirements, the new information has been incorporated in the present edition. In
particular, attention may be called to a new chapter on the electromagnetic pulse.
We should emphasize, as has been done in the earlier editions, that numerical
values given in this book are not-and cannot be-exact. They must inevitably
include a substantial margin of error. Apart from the difficulties
in making
measurements of weapons effects, the results are often dependent upon circum-
stances which could not be predicted in the event of a nuclear attack. Furthermore,
two weapons of different design may have the same explosive energy yield,