French Nuclear programmes

		An M.P. called Frank in Tahiti
		Said he felt that he just wasn't free:
		"If the French want to test,
			Then surely it's best
		 If they blow up their bombs in Paree?"

				Mayor Francis Sanford,
		 French Polynesia's representative to the French National
						Assembly, Nov 1972.


		We did tests to achieve a few technical goals.
		In the long term we know it's our national 
		interest which is at stake.

			Dominique Girard, French ambassador to Australia,
			September 5 1995



		

French Nuclear Testing History

French tally: 208 shots
U.S. tally: 935
World tally: 2042

DATE		YEAR			EVENT			LOCATION

Feb 13		1960			First fission bomb	Reganne,Algeria

		1961-66			16 tests

Jul 2		1966			First Pacific shot	Moruroa


Aug 24		1968			First thermonuclear	Fangataufa
					shot

Jun 8		1974			End of atmospheric 
					tests (41 shots in
					Pacific region) 

Jun 5		1975			First underground shot	Fangataufa

Apr 8		1992			Suspension of tests

Jun 13		1995			Chirac decision
					to resume tests

Sep 5		1995			Tests resume		Moruroa
					Sea Goddess (20kt)

Oct 2		1995			< 150 kt		Fangataufa

Oct 28		1995			approx 60 kt		Moruroa

Nov 23		1995			approx 60-80 kt            Moruroa

Dec 28		1995			30kt			Moruroa

The United States and United Kingdom will share in the test data from the 1995 series of shots.

Moruroa I

          43 K

Moruroa II        34 K

Sea Goddess: A 1995 French nuclear test at Mururoa

Two views of Sea Goddess:

         43 K

         170 K

The Diagnostic Cannister

      25 K

The Firing Panel           50 K

Map of Moruroa Atoll