In Grappling with the Bomb: Britain's Pacific H-Bomb Tests, Nic Maclellan gathers together oral history and archival materials to bring forth a more democratic history of the British hydrogen bomb test series Operation Grapple, conducted in the South Pacific between 1957-58. Centralising the experiences and voices of Pacific islanders still affected by the detonations and still fighting for recognition and recompense from the UK government, this book — available to download here for free — offers a textured, multi-layered story that gives urgent attention to historical legacies of nuclear harm and injustice, writes Tom Vaughan

Vaughan, Tom

LSE Research Online

Book	Review:	Grappling	with	the	Bomb:	Britain’sPacific	H-Bomb	Tests	by	Nic	MaclellanIn	Grappling	with	the	Bomb:	Britain’s	Pacific	H-Bomb	Tests,	Nic	Maclellan	gathers	together	oral	history	andarchival	materials	to	bring	forth	a	more	democratic	history	of	the	British	hydrogen	bomb	test	series	OperationGrapple,	conducted	in	the	South	Pacific	between	1957-58.	Centralising	the	experiences	and	voices	of	Pacificislanders	still	affected	by	the	detonations	and	still	fighting	for	recognition	and	recompense	from	the	UK	government,this	book	—	available	to	download	here	for	free	—	offers	a	textured,	multi-layered	story	that	gives	urgent	attention	tohistorical	legacies	of	nuclear	harm	and	injustice,	writes	Tom	Vaughan.	Grappling	with	the	Bomb:	Britain’s	Pacific	H-Bomb	Tests.	Nic	Maclellan.	ANU	Press.	2017.Find	this	book:	Sixty	years	after	the	British	hydrogen	bomb	test	series	Operation	Grapple	wasconducted	in	the	South	Pacific,	its	remaining	survivors	—	now	octogenarians	—continue	to	fight	for	recognition	and	recompense	from	the	UK	government.	TheGrapple	series,	running	from	May	1957	to	September	1958,	consisted	of	nine	nucleardetonations	across	test	sites	on	Malden	and	Christmas	(Kiritimati)	Islands	andannounced	the	UK’s	arrival	as	the	world’s	third	thermonuclear	power.	As	a	shrinkingEmpire	trickled	through	Britannia’s	fingers,	Grapple	briefly	salved	the	rapidlydeveloping	British	condition	of	postcolonial	melancholia	by	anointing	the	UK	withdestructive	capabilities	disproportionate	to	its	diminishing	influence,	and	helping	tosecure	British	‘seats	at	the	table’	in	global	affairs	for	decades	to	come.The	Grapple	tests,	overseen	by	the	British	Army,	were	supported	by	Commonwealthtroops	from	New	Zealand	—	formally	independent	from	the	UK	since	1947	—	and	Fiji,which	would	declare	independence	thirteen	years	later	in	1970.	Christmas	Island	andMalden	Island	formed	part	of	the	Gilbert	Islands,	which	gained	independence	from	theUK	as	the	Republic	of	Kiribati	in	1979.	Gilbertese	civilians	were	employed	in	logistics	and	support	roles	during	thetests,	and	some	worked	on	coconut	plantations	on	Christmas	and	the	surrounding	islands.	Despite	official	Britishclaims	that	both	participants	and	bystanders	received	‘little	or	no	additional	radiation’	(4)	as	a	result	of	the	Grappletests	(a	frankly	untenable	position	that,	as	of	2018,	the	British	government	maintains),	islanders	and	ex-servicepersonnel	continue	to	report	chronic	illnesses,	birth	defects	and	premature	deaths.	The	legacy	of	Grapple,	in	part,	isanother	shamefully	familiar	story	of	Britain’s	abdication	of	its	responsibilities	to	former	colonial	subjects.However,	Nic	Maclellan’s	Grappling	with	the	Bomb:	Pacific	H-Bomb	Tests	—	available	open	access	to	downloadhere	—	is	a	successful	effort	to	contextualise	and	augment	this	narrative.	Using	meticulously-gathered	oral	historyand	archival	materials,	Maclellan	aims	to	search	for	experiences	beyond	victimhood,	exploring	how	the	Pacificislanders	themselves	experienced	—	and	indeed	participated	in	—	the	operation.	Others	excluded	from	mainstreamaccounts,	including	Fijian	veterans	and	political	figures	as	well	as	the	only	two	women	stationed	on	Christmas	Islandduring	the	tests,	are	also	afforded	a	prominent	position	in	the	book.	The	result	is	a	textured,	multi-layered	story	that	issurprising	and	sobering	in	equal	measure.LSE Review of Books: Book Review: Grappling with the Bomb: Britain’s Pacific H-Bomb Tests by Nic Maclellan Page 1 of 3		Date originally posted: 2018-07-19Permalink: http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/lsereviewofbooks/2018/07/19/book-review-grappling-with-the-bomb-britains-pacific-h-bomb-tests-by-nic-maclellan/Blog homepage: http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/lsereviewofbooks/Image	Credit:	Grapple-Y	test,	Christmas	(Kiritimati)	Island,	28	April	1958	(Atomic	Weapons	Research	Establishment	PublicDomain)Maclellan	approaches	the	task	of	weaving	a	more	democratic	history	of	Operation	Grapple	by	organising	the	bookinto	a	series	of	vignettes,	each	one	loosely	centred	around	a	particular	individual	or	group	involved	in	the	tests:	thediverse	cast	includes	(among	many	others)	British	pilots,	Japanese	trawlermen,	an	Australian	businessman,Gilbertese	mothers	and	President	John	F.	Kennedy.	Each	chapter	begins	with	a	brief	biography,	producing	a	seriesof	remarkable	accounts	of	how	the	participants	of	Grapple	—	in	many	cases	radically	separated	by	physical	distance,social	class,	race,	gender,	colonialism	and	occupation	—	were	drawn	together	into	the	labyrinthine	world	of	nucleargeopolitics.	Many	of	these	participants	are	still	alive	and	interviewed	in	depth	by	Maclellan,	in	some	cases	stillbattling	the	British	government	for	recompense	(or	even	simple	recognition),	adding	a	further	dimension	of	urgencyand	contemporary	relevance	to	their	character	studies.	Their	stories	develop	into	wider	discussions	of	Grapple’spolitical	and	historical	legacy.This	is	a	novel	way	to	structure	the	book,	and	one	which	makes	Grappling	with	the	Bomb	an	arresting	read:	it	offersup	a	profoundly	human	account,	rather	than	a	stuffy	piece	of	diplomatic	history.	Almost	every	chapter	offers	anunusually	revealing	nugget	of	information	or	thought-provoking	observation	of	unusual	poignancy:	for	example,	thatFijian	High	Chief	Ratu	Penaia	Ganilau	was	fiercely	loyal	to	the	British	crown	up	until	his	death	from	leukaemia,	whichhis	family	attribute	to	exposure	to	fallout	during	the	Grapple	tests	(154),	or	that	the	British	government	was	soconcerned	with	obscuring	the	human	effects	of	nuclear	testing	that	it	refused	even	to	acknowledge	that	previoustesting	had	provoked	‘slight	alarm’	among	Gilbert	and	Ellis	Islanders	in	official	Colonial	Office	reports	to	Parliament(50).	One	drawback	with	this	approach,	however,	is	that	it	makes	for	a	slightly	disjointed	and	confusing	read:	despitethe	chapter	titles	implying	a	detailed	focus	on	a	particular	person	or	group,	some	of	the	vignettes	are	relatively	shortand	quickly	give	way	to	broader	discussions.	This	is	not	a	particularly	serious	criticism;	Maclellan	is	correct	not	toadvance	a	simplistic	linear	narrative.	Grappling	with	the	Bomb	ably	demonstrates	that	the	British	nuclear	tests	weremessy	affairs,	complex	pieces	of	geopolitical	theatre	which	involved	a	multitude	of	actors	beyond	the	UK	and	itsmilitary.Perhaps	the	biggest	strength	of	Grappling	with	the	Bomb	is	its	relevance	to	current	and	emerging	debates	in	nuclearstudies.	Maclellan	explicitly	situates	himself	among	other	historians	of	nuclear	testing	and	the	South	Pacific,	rightlydifferentiating	his	work	from	existing	accounts	by	‘tell[ing]	some	unfamiliar	stories	that	show	the	human	impact	of	theGrapple	tests,	with	a	particular	focus	on	perspectives	from	the	southern	hemisphere’	(10).	However,	Grappling	withthe	Bomb	is	likely	to	find	considerable	favour	across	disciplines,	offering	extremely	useful	insights	to	scholars	ofInternational	Relations	(IR),	Science	and	Technology	Studies	(STS),	history,	human	geography,	anthropology	andbeyond.LSE Review of Books: Book Review: Grappling with the Bomb: Britain’s Pacific H-Bomb Tests by Nic Maclellan Page 2 of 3		Date originally posted: 2018-07-19Permalink: http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/lsereviewofbooks/2018/07/19/book-review-grappling-with-the-bomb-britains-pacific-h-bomb-tests-by-nic-maclellan/Blog homepage: http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/lsereviewofbooks/Maclellan	deftly	exposes	the	inter-departmental	struggles	over	Grapple	and	atomic	weapons	more	broadly	that	tookplace	inside	the	British	government,	echoing	historian	Gabrielle	Hecht’s	study	on	the	‘technopolitics’	of	Frenchnuclear	power	after	World	War	II,	which	investigates	how	the	physical	properties	of	technologies	can	embodycompeting	political	agendas.	The	book	also	sharply	demonstrates	the	myriad	forms	of	agency	and	participation	inworld	politics	that	can	be	brought	about	by	new	technologies:	a	subject	of	great	interest	to	those	who	advocate	for	IRto	recognise	the	analytical	importance	of	technology	and	to	better	integrate	insights	from	STS.	There	is	evensomething	on	offer	for	students	of	literature,	with	Chapter	Three	(‘The	Fisherman’)	discussing	the	responses	of	Fijian,Marshallese	and	Māori	poets	to	nuclear	testing.As	a	policy-focused	journalist	and	researcher,	Maclellan	can	scarcely	be	criticised	for	not	engaging	more	deeply	withthese	debates,	even	though	this	reader	(typically,	for	a	student	of	IR)	found	himself	scanning	the	pages	in	vain	forconceptual	embellishment.	Grappling	with	the	Bomb	can	nonetheless	advance	our	understanding	of	world	nuclearhistories	by	illuminating	a	treasure	trove	of	raw	materials	to	help	us	think	about	nuclear	weapons	and	theirdevastatingly	human	effects	in	a	more	nuanced	way.	For	those	with	even	a	passing	academic	interest	in	the	topic,this	book	comes	highly	recommended.However,	with	Grappling	with	the	Bomb,	Maclellan	makes	a	far	more	important	contribution	—	one	which	transcendsthe	boundaries	of	scholarly	thought,	which	we	are	all	guilty	of	taking	far	too	seriously.	Aside	from	the	odd	lonely	voicein	the	Scottish	Parliament,	the	lasting	human	damage	of	Operation	Grapple	is	rarely	officially	recognised	in	Britain.This	book	highlights	the	hypocrisy	of	the	UK	government,	its	determination	to	ignore	the	transgressions	of	Empireand	its	callous	disregard	for	those	who	bear	the	scars	of	Grapple	today.	By	letting	those	touched	by	the	Britishhydrogen	bomb	speak	for	themselves,	it	provides	sorely-needed	amplification	to	the	small	chorus	of	Pacific	voicesthat	continue	to	demand	justice.	The	book’s	concluding	chapter	quotes	the	Fijian	sailor	Paul	ah	Poy:To	the	government	of	Great	Britain,	the	people	of	Great	Britain,	we	would	like	to	say,	please,	do	what	isright.	We	have	done	our	duty	to	our	Queen	and	our	country.	We	can	only	wait	and	see,	hopefully,	that	youwill	do	something	(338).Grappling	with	the	Bomb	reminds	its	British	readers	in	particular	that	to	‘wait	and	see’	is	not	an	adequate	response	tonuclear	harm	and	injustice.Tom	Vaughan	is	a	doctoral	researcher	in	the	Department	of	International	Politics	at	Aberystwyth	University.	His	workexplores	how	the	‘locales’	of	the	nuclear	world	might	shape	the	contours	of	the	global	nuclear	order.	Read	more	byTom	Vaughan.Note:	This	review	gives	the	views	of	the	author,	and	not	the	position	of	the	LSE	Review	of	Books	blog,	or	of	theLondon	School	of	Economic	LSE Review of Books: Book Review: Grappling with the Bomb: Britain’s Pacific H-Bomb Tests by Nic Maclellan Page 3 of 3		Date originally posted: 2018-07-19Permalink: http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/lsereviewofbooks/2018/07/19/book-review-grappling-with-the-bomb-britains-pacific-h-bomb-tests-by-nic-maclellan/Blog homepage: http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/lsereviewofbooks/

Book review: grappling with the bomb: Britain's Pacific H-bomb tests by Nic Maclellan

http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/91178/1/Vaughan_Book-review-grappling-with-the-bomb_Author.pdf

Book review: grappling with the bomb: Britain's Pacific H-bomb tests by Nic Maclellan

Abstract

Similar works

Full text

Available Versions

LSE Research Online