Jun 15, 2008 8:15 pm US/Central
Rogue Nations May Have Nuclear Blueprints
WASHINGTON (CBS News) ―
There's concern that designs for nuclear weapons may be in the hands of regimes and rogue groups that up to now have been struggling to build nuclear arsenals. CBS' Early Show Correspondent Thalia Assuras reports from Washington.
A former U.N. weapons inspector is set to reveal publicly that blueprints for nuclear devices were found on computers belonging to an international nuclear smuggling ring -- two years ago. The illicit group was once led by Pakistani scientist, A.Q. Khan.
So-called rogue nations like North Korea and Iran have aspired for years to join the nuclear weapons club and it's possible they have now acquired electronic blueprints for an advanced nuclear device from Khan's illicit network.
Four years ago, Khan admitted providing less-sophisticated designs to Libya though in a recent phone interview with CBS News Correspondent Liz Palmer from Islamabad where he is under house arrest, he made an about-face.
"I was not involved in any nuclear proliferation," Khan said.
The new blueprints for a more sophisticated weapon are described in a draft report by David Albright, currently with the institute for science and international security. In the report, obtained by the Washington Post Albright writes :
"These advanced nuclear weapons designs may have long ago been sold off to some of the most treacherous regimes in the world".
The blueprints apparently provided instructions for building a compact nuclear device that could be attached to ballistic missiles owned by Iran and other developing countries. According to Albright, Iran and North Korea were two of the network's customers and he concludes:
"They both faced struggles in building a nuclear warhead small enough to fit atop their ballistic missiles and these designs were for a warhead that would fit."
Traveling today in Europe with President Bush, National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley told reporters:
"We're very concerned about the A.Q. Khan network, both in terms of what they were doing by purveying enrichment technology and also the possibility that there would be weapons-related technology associated with it.
The drawings were on computers owned by Swiss businessmen connected to Khan's group and who are under investigation. The electronic blueprints have been destroyed but there is no telling how many copies were made and are still in circulation.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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