Britain’s Safety Arguments: French Nuclear Testing in Algeria duringNigerian Decolonisation (1959-60)

Abstract

France’s decision to hold its first nuclear tests in the Algerian Sahara, at a time when the question of the health effects of radioactive fallout was a matter of scientific controversy, gave Africans political as well as scientific arguments to oppose French policy. In 1959, as African anti-nuclear sentiment grew, Britain suddenly faced the unique situation of having to preserve its relationship with France whilst securing post-independence ties with Nigeria, who was soon to become independent. In its attempt to overcome this dilemma, and in the absence of precise information about what the French were planning, Britain produced original technical arguments suggesting that tests in the Sahara would be safe. When fallout from Gerboise Bleue, the first French nuclear test, reached Nigeria in February 1960, Britain attempted to consolidate the narrative on the safety of French nuclear tests ex post facto, without however furthering its political interests in Africa or Europe. Based on multinational archival documents, this article offers a comparative and connected history of Gerboise Bleue, with particular attention to the context of African decolonisation.