In the 1960s, the US planned to use 520 nuclear bombs to create an alternative Suez Canal through Israel.

In the 1960s, the US planned to use 520 nuclear bombs to create an alternative Suez Canal through Israel.

The US Considered Using Nuclear Bombs to Create an Alternative to the Suez Canal

In a declassified memorandum from 1963, it was revealed that the United States once considered using nuclear bombs to create an alternative to the Suez Canal. The plan involved excavating more than 160 miles through Israel’s Negev desert, providing a strategic and economically valuable alternative route. Although the plan never came to fruition, it is interesting to consider the potential impact it could have had, especially in light of the recent incident involving a cargo ship blocking the vital shipping route.

The memorandum, declassified in 1996, detailed the proposal to use 520 nuclear bombs for the excavation of a canal. The document, originating from the US Department of Energy-backed Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, suggested the “use of nuclear explosives for excavation of Dead Sea canal across the Negev desert.” This bold plan was described as a “modest proposal for the Suez Canal situation” by the historian Alex Wellerstein on Twitter.

According to the memorandum, conventional methods of excavation would have been prohibitively expensive. Nuclear explosives were seen as a potentially cost-effective solution to the challenge at hand. The document proposed an alternative waterway stretching across the Negev desert, connecting the Mediterranean to the Gulf of Aqaba, ultimately providing access to the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean. The laboratory noted that the desert wasteland spanning 130 miles was suitable for nuclear excavation methods.

The pricing model outlined in the memorandum estimated that four 2-megaton devices would be required for every mile. Wellerstein calculated that this would amount to “520 nukes” or 1.04 gigatons of explosives. The potential canal was seen as strategically valuable and a significant contributor to economic development.

However, the memorandum also acknowledged potential political challenges, specifically the likely objections from Arab countries surrounding Israel. The authors noted that while the technological feasibility was within the range of possibility, political feasibility could prove to be a significant hurdle.

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The proposal to use “peaceful nuclear explosions” for infrastructure projects, such as digging out a canal in Central America, was part of a broader investigation by the US Atomic Energy Commission. However, the project remained experimental, and subsequent experiments demonstrated the harmful effects of nuclear explosions on the landscape. The Atomic Energy Commission was abolished in 1974, but the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory continues to exist today, focusing on ensuring the safety, security, and reliability of the nation’s nuclear deterrent.

The timing of the memorandum is worth noting, as it came less than a decade after the Suez crisis, a pivotal event in the Cold War. The conflict over control of the Suez Canal highlighted the strategic importance of this waterway, making the proposal for an alternative route even more significant.

While the plan to use nuclear bombs to create an alternative to the Suez Canal may have remained on paper, it showcases the ingenuity and audacity of the time. As we face new challenges in the shipping industry, such as the recent blockage of the Suez Canal by a stranded cargo ship, it’s interesting to reflect on the unconventional solutions that were once considered. The world of technology and infrastructure continues to evolve, and who knows what creative ideas may arise in the future.

• Israel
• News UK
• Suez Canal