The B-52 transporting cruise missiles incident
The B-52 transporting cruise missiles incident
over the territory of the United States
November 25, 2007
I can't handle all the files at once. I will therefore reproduce an email from a reader about this incident dated November 24, 2007, without any guarantee:
http://www.mondialisation.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=6771
| Hello | I would like to correct one of your pieces of information. The incident reported by the press regarding the transport of nuclear weapons over US territory originated from the Minot base in North Dakota, and the Barksdale base as the destination, not the other way around. | This is useful to know for several reasons: | 1) The cruise missiles loaded on the Boeing 52 H (55 years of service!) were 12 AGM-158 JASSM, with two pylons on the plane supporting 6 each. | 2) | These missiles had been delivered to the base on August 17, 2007, and if I understood correctly, their first flight took place on August 29, 2007, the day before the incident. Having missiles that had just arrived and had a nuclear charge installed on six of them cross the US territory must have seriously confused the personnel. | 3) | Indeed, several members of the base staff had been victims of fatal accidents before and after the incident, including the Airman First Class Todd Blue, 20 years old, in charge of these nuclear payloads (so young?) without any known cause, during a leave. "Additional information will be provided when available," Hum... | These details are available on the Minot base's website: | As well as the results of the investigation, which politely ignores the presence of nuclear charges! | Let's note just in case that the Canadian border is about 50 miles from Minot and that the missiles have a range of 200 miles. | "A Canadian citizen who was stopped at the Saint-Anicet marina at the beginning of the month, Harold Leclerc, said he was surprised to be stopped by an armed US Coast Guard officer wearing a bulletproof vest, whom he was trying to photograph. "He looked at me very seriously and asked me in English why I was taking photos," he said. | Mr. Leclerc claims he only responded when one of the RCMP agents accompanying the US Coast Guard intervened. He told him that he was wondering about the presence of American police on Canadian soil and did not hide that he was shocked to be stopped by an American agent in Canada." | Indeed | "US Coast Guard officers have had temporary peace officer powers for several weeks and can therefore stop and arrest Canadians on Canadian territory." |