French atomic bombIn 1960, France detonated their first plutonium bomb from a 330-foot tower at the Reggane base in the Sahara in what was then French Algeria. On 18 Oct 1945, the Atomic Energy Commission (Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique; CEA) had been established by General Charles de Gaulle with the objective of exploiting the scientific, industrial, and military potential of atomic energy. On 22 Jul 1958, de Gaulle, having resumed power as prime minister, had set the date for the first atomic explosion to occur within the first three months of 1960. His goal was to assert France's independence and its role on the world stage. Thus he set about building the country's nuclear capacity acquiring also nuclear-armed aircraft, missiles and submarines. |
