Torn Between Two Nations: Joint Anglo-American Nuclear Testing in Operation Dominic and International Compensation

Abstract

This thesis explores the circumstances which led to Britain and the USA conducting a joint atmospheric nuclear testing operation, which was known as Operation Dominic. The thesis will also discuss the experiences of British servicemen who participated in this operation, as well as their struggle for recognition and monetary compensation from both the UK and US governments. Furthermore, the thesis will also examine the awarding of compensation to British veterans of Operation Dominic by the USA in the context of international compensation schemes to ascertain who should be held responsible for the compensation of British Operation Dominic veterans. In order to achieve this, I have drawn on the records of the Ministry of Defence stored at the National Archives in Kew, specifically I chose to access the documentation concerned with negotiation and planning of Operation Dominic. While not without their limitations, these sources have provided a wealth of new information on Operation Dominic from the perspective of policymakers. In order to understand the experiences of British armed forces personnel present at Operation Dominic, this thesis also draws on information given in five interviews with British Operation Dominic and Grapple veterans. Operation Dominic was different to other nuclear testing operations, as it is was the first and last time that the UK and the USA agreed to co-operate to conduct an operation of this scale. The first chapter of this thesis seeks to examine this co-operation in order to gain a better understanding of the extent of Anglo-American co-operation at Operation Dominic. By doing so, the UK’s role in the Anglo-American nuclear alliance at the time can be better understood. The second chapter will discuss the Operation Dominic from the perspective of British veterans. The third chapter examines the compensation of these veterans by the USA and compares this situation to other similar situations internationally in order to come to conclusions regarding responsibility for compensation.

Date of Award	2024
Original language	English
Supervisor	Christopher Hill (Supervisor) & Rachel Lock-Lewis (Supervisor)