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The Russian Nuclear Bomb
in Washington, DC

Commentary by Russ Kick

In its 12 Nov 2001 issue, Time ran this brief article on page 31. Hugh Sidey—the magazine's Washington Contributing Editor—has been covering the presidency for Life and Time since 1957. In this snippet, he reveals that JFK told him in 1961 that the Soviet Union has a nuclear bomb in its embassy in Washington, DC.

In my book, this counts as a major revelation, yet there are several factors that indicate that this piece was created in a way that minimizes its impact. And that's exactly what happened: minimal impact. A sitting president told a White House reporter that the Russians have an atomic bomb in the nation's capitol, and no one heard it.

Here are some of the odd aspects of this article:

Presentation. After the letters section, each issue of Time has a section called "Notebook," a hodgepodge of quotes, obituaries, and factoids. This crucial revelation was run in this unlikely section, on the same page as a look at Muslim headgear. And because it was put in "Notebook," it's not available online, since Time doesn't post that section on its Website.

To top it off, the article is presented under the label "Personal History," as if it were some charming recollection of JFK spilling soup on his tie and making a witty remark.

Timing. Kennedy told Sidey about the A-bomb in 1961. Sidey told us in 2001. Does Time have any explanation about why it waited 40 years to publish this remarkable piece of information?

It certainly makes one wonder what the current President is telling White House reporters—revelations that Time will publish in 2042.

Lack of follow-up by Time. OK, so the Soviet Union smuggled parts for an atomic bomb in diplomatic pouches, then assembled it in their DC embassy. Does anyone know whether this bomb still exists and where it is now? Seems to me that there's a good chance it's still somewhere in the area. When the Soviet Union collapsed, did they take apart the bomb and ship the pieces back to Russia in diplomatic pouches? Did they load the whole thing onto an airplane and fly it back to the motherland? Both scenarios seem unlikely. Would Time care to investigate whether this bomb is still in the Russian embassy in Washington, DC?

Lack of follow-up by the rest of the media. Come to think of it, would anyone care to investigate this? It appears that no other media outlet has picked up the story. You might think that Kennedy revealing an A-bomb a few blocks from the White House would be highly newsworthy, but you'd be wrong.

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Excellent find Donna! You are my Condi Rice ;)

Mmmmm. Maria Esperanza said over a decade ago "Russia may act in a surprise way when you least expect it".

She also said in talking about what she saw: It may come like an earthquake,something like this, very hard things.I see like caves inside the earth."

She's a very very old woman and she felt horribly burdened by what she saw, much of which she wouldn't describe but just asked for prayer.

I strongly agree with you.

But, then, I've long expected the Ruskies to do such things.

. . . i.e. maintain a nuke in their DC embassy.

very good find. this story was "around" before 2001 (not from Time), and in fact makes alot of sense. I had heard they did the same thin in NYC, using UN diplomats as couriers.

Do they still have the bombs there? My guess would be no, too risky. Not sure how much deterrent effect it offers in today's environment.