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Retired Turkish ambassador claims nuclear bombs stored in Istanbul
Monday, April 5, 2010
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet
Taner Baytok, retired ambassador and former Defense Ministry
consultant, claimed that the U.S. has tactical nuclear weapons in
Istanbul.
According to Baytok, the approximately 100 tactical nuclear weapons
are not at the U.S.'s Ä°ncirlik Base in Adana as believed but in
Istanbul, the most populated city of Turkey.
Baytok explained the difference between strategic and tactical
weapons: Strategic ones are continent-to-continent class and they are
mostly stored on American soil. The tactical ones were placed during
the Cold War, which would be fired to the Iron Curtain countries first
as they are attached to faster missiles with shorter ranges. Baytok
said some of these weapons are in Istanbul and in some other cities
near the Black Sea.
The weapons are fired with a double-key system, said Baytok. `One of
the keys is in the U.S. and the other in the host country, in this
case Turkey. During war time these weapons are fired with this
double-key system.'
Baytok also said the SALT and START pacts signed between the former
Soviet Union and the U.S. have resulted in the modification of the
nuclear weapons of the latter in Europe. Many of the tactical warheads
in Europe were modified to be installed on planes but those in Turkey
remain the same.
`The only governmental decision dates back to 1972. That decision is
interesting. It says no changes will be made on the nuclear weapons in
Turkey unless necessary. This means we haven't received new nuclear
weapons nor we have returned the old ones,' he said.
Monday, April 5, 2010
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet
Taner Baytok, retired ambassador and former Defense Ministry
consultant, claimed that the U.S. has tactical nuclear weapons in
Istanbul.
According to Baytok, the approximately 100 tactical nuclear weapons
are not at the U.S.'s Ä°ncirlik Base in Adana as believed but in
Istanbul, the most populated city of Turkey.
Baytok explained the difference between strategic and tactical
weapons: Strategic ones are continent-to-continent class and they are
mostly stored on American soil. The tactical ones were placed during
the Cold War, which would be fired to the Iron Curtain countries first
as they are attached to faster missiles with shorter ranges. Baytok
said some of these weapons are in Istanbul and in some other cities
near the Black Sea.
The weapons are fired with a double-key system, said Baytok. `One of
the keys is in the U.S. and the other in the host country, in this
case Turkey. During war time these weapons are fired with this
double-key system.'
Baytok also said the SALT and START pacts signed between the former
Soviet Union and the U.S. have resulted in the modification of the
nuclear weapons of the latter in Europe. Many of the tactical warheads
in Europe were modified to be installed on planes but those in Turkey
remain the same.
`The only governmental decision dates back to 1972. That decision is
interesting. It says no changes will be made on the nuclear weapons in
Turkey unless necessary. This means we haven't received new nuclear
weapons nor we have returned the old ones,' he said.