THE GREAT A-BOMB SCARE OF 1970

We've heard of so-called "dirty bombs" -- a nuclear device that can be transported in something as small as a suitcase. The threat is real and fortunately no one has had the exact means or ability to set one off.

Back in October 1970, in Orlando Florida, police received a scribbled blackmail note that stated the writer of the note had an atomic bomb and would detonate it if they didn't receive a million dollars and a free ride out of the country. When police caught up with him, it turned out that the blackmailer was a 14 year-old boy who had his information about the bomb from an encyclopedia!

Thus began the terrorist nuke scare that continues in the present day. Improvised explosives have accounted for hundreds of U.S troops (as well as innocent victims) in Iraq and Afghanistan. The fact that a nuclear version of one of these is possible creates just the kind of anxiety that a terrorist strives for.

The story of the A-Bomb blackmailing boy was covered in the August 1974 issue of STAG.