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IDSA Releases New Documents on Indian Nuclear History

Researchers at the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses in New Delhi, India have released a new collection of archival documents on important aspects of Indian nuclear history.

The Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, New Delhi
The Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses

NPIHP is pleased to announce the recent release of nearly 30 new documents on important aspects of Indian nuclear history.

Obtained and published by NPIHP's partners with the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA) in New Delhi, these documents provide new insights on the Indian Department of Atomic Energy's internal goals and planning processes during the mid- to late-1960s, on India's nuclear cooperation with the United States and the Soviet Union, and other topics.

Visit the IDSA Nuclear History Project website to view the collection in full.

Highlights from this new release include: 

  • Details of US-Indian correspondence on nuclear technology exchanges,
  • Minutes of an Indian Department of Atomic Energy Meeting discussing India's atomic energy R&D goals for the Fourth Five Year Plan,
  • Correspondence on the prospects for Indian-Soviet cooperation on the peaceful uses of atomic energy,
  • Indian Department of Atomic Energy plans for the future development of fast breeder reactors and on the possible utility of radiation for the food preservation industry.

This release is part of an ongoing effort led by IDSA and NPIHP to shed new light on India's nuclear history. It was compiled by IDSA researchers Kapil Patil, Manasi Pritam, Alankrita Sinha, and A. Vinod Kumar.

At an October 2012 IDSA/NPIHP conference, Indian Ministry of External Affairs Special Secretary for Public Diplomacy PInak Chakravarty announced the impending release of 220,000 newly declassified files on India's foreign policy history.

As a service to researchers, IDSA has created an online list of declassified files of the Ministry of External Affairs which are available at the National Archives of India.

Visit the IDSA Nuclear History Project website for more information, and to view the collection in full.

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