Smiling Buddha - History

History

The nuclear weapons efforts were remarkably established in 1944 by Homi J. Bhabha who founded the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research in 1944. Nuclear physicist Piara Singh Gill also returned to the country from the United States after participating in the Manhattan Project in 1945. Physicist Raja Ramanna later went on to play an integral role in the research of nuclear weapons technology.

After Indian independence, Prime Minister Jawarharalal Nehru authorized the development of a nuclear programme headed by Homi J. Bhabha; the Atomic Energy Act of 1948 focuses on peaceful development. India was heavily involved in the development of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, but ultimately opted not to sign.

We must develop this atomic energy quite apart from war - indeed I think we must develop it for the purpose of using it for peaceful purposes. ... Of course, if we are compelled as a nation to use it for other purposes, possibly no pious sentiments of any of us will stop the nation from using it that way —Jawaharalal Nehru — 1st Prime Minister of India,

In 1954, Bhabha moved the nuclear programme in a direction towards weapons design and production. Bhabha established two important infrastructure projects - the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre at Mumbai and the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) of which Bhabha was the first secretary. Between the period of 1954 to 1959, the nuclear programme grew swiftly and by 1958 the DAE had 1/3 of the defence budget for research purposes. In 1954, the United States and Canada, as part of the Atoms for Peace policy, agreed to provide and established the small research reactor, CIRUS, also at Trombay. Acquisition of CIRUS was a watershed event in nuclear proliferation, with understanding between India and the United States that the reactor would be used for research purposes only. The CIRUS was an ideal facility to develop the plutonium bomb, therefore Nehru had refused to accept the nuclear fuel from Canada, and started the programme to develop the ingenious nuclear fuel cycle.

In 1962, the nuclear programme continued to develop, but at slow rate. Nehru was distracted by the Sino-Indian War, but lost territory after China had successfully annexed the territory after launching a successful assault. Nehru turned to the Soviet Union for help but it was facing the missile crisis. The Soviet Politburo turned down Nehru's request for weapon supply and continued backing the Chinese. The legacy of this war left an impression on India that the Soviet Union was an unreliable ally, therefore a nuclear deterrence was felt necessary at that time. Design work began in 1965 under Bhabha but later proceeded by Raja Ramanna who took over the programme after former's death.

However, the nuclear programme came to a halt after Lal Bahadur Shastri became the prime minister after Nehru's death. Shastri faced another war, this time with West Pakistan (now Pakistan). Shastri appointed Doctor Vikram Sarabhai as the head of nuclear programme, but because of his Gandhian beliefs, Sarabhai focused the programme to be developed into more peaceful purposes rather than the military applications.

In 1967, after Indira Gandhi became the prime minister, the work on nuclear programme resumed with a new attitude and goals. Homi Sethna, a chemical engineer, played a significant role in the development of weapon-grade plutonium while Ramanna designed and manufactured the whole nuclear device. Because of the sensitivity, the first nuclear bomb project did not employ more than 75 scientists.

India continued to harbor ambivalent feelings about nuclear weapons and accord low priority to their production until the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. In the same month of December 1971, when Richard Nixon sent a carrier battle group led by the USS Enterprise (CVN-65) into the Bay of Bengal in an attempt to intimidate India, the Soviet Union responded by sending a submarine armed with nuclear missiles from Vladivostok to trail the US task force. The Soviet response demonstrated the deterrent value and significance of nuclear weapons and ballistic missile submarines to Indira Gandhi.

On 7 September 1972, Indira Gandhi authorized the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) to manufacture a nuclear device and prepare it for a test. Throughout its development, the device was formally called the "Peaceful Nuclear Explosive", but it was usually referred to as the Smiling Buddha. Detonation occurred on 18 May 1974, Buddha Jayanti (a festival day in India marking the birth of Gautama Buddha).