Cuban scientists put myopic Marxist ideology before scientific scepticism over Soviet nuclear safety

This is what happens when you put ideology  ahead of scientific analysis: the cable is almost exactly 7 years before the catastrophic accident at Chernobyl CUBAN REACTION TO THREE MILE ISLAND NUCLEAR ACCIDENT
Date: 1979 April 17, 00:00 (Tuesday)	Canonical ID: 1979HAVANA03121_e
Original Classification: CONFIDENTIAL	Current Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
Handling Restrictions -- N/A or Blank --	Character Count: 4489
Executive Order: GS 19850417 GLASSMAN, JON D	Locator: TEXT ON MICROFILM,TEXT ONLINE
TAGS: CU - Cuba | MNUC - Military and Defense Affairs--Military Nuclear Applications | PARM - Political Affairs--Arms Controls and Disarmament | TECH - Technology and Science--Technology | UR - Soviet Union (USSR)	Concepts: ACCIDENTS | GOVERNMENT REACTIONS | NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS | THREE MILE ISLAND
Enclosure: -- N/A or Blank --	Type: TE - Telegram (cable)
Office Origin: -- N/A or Blank -- Office Action: ACTION ARA - Bureau of Inter-American Affairs	Archive Status: Electronic Telegrams
From: Cuba Havana | HAVANA OR-O | USINT HAVANA	Markings: Sheryl P. Walter Declassified/Released US Department of State EO Systematic Review 20 Mar 2014
To: Department of State

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CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 01 HAVANA 03121 171512Z ACTION ARA-15 INFO OCT-01 EUR-12 ADS-00 ACDA-12 CIAE-00 INR-10 IO-14 L-03 NSAE-00 NSC-05 EB-08 NRC-02 OES-09 SOE-02 DODE-00 DOE-15 SS-15 SP-02 CEQ-01 PM-05 SAS-02 SMS-01 /134 W ------------------093295 180636Z /17 R 171342Z APR 79 FM USINT HAVANA TO SECSTATE WASHDC 7373 INFO AMEMBASSY MOSCOW AMEMBASSY VIENNA C O N F I D E N T I A L HAVANA 3121 E.O. 12065: GDS 4/16/85 (GLASSMAN, JON D.) OR-0 TAGS: MNUC, TECH, PARM, CU, UR SUBJECT: (C) CUBAN REACTION TO THREE MILE ISLAND NUCLEAR ACCIDENT

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1. (C) SUMMARY: CUBANS, ANTICIPATING CONSTRUCTION OF THEIR FIRST NUCLEAR POWER GENERATING PLANT, HAVE SOUGHT TO ATTRIBUTE THREE MILE ISLAND NUCLEAR ACCIDENT TO LACK OF SAFETY PECULIAR TO US REACTORS AND CONSTRUCTION PRACTICES. CUBANS CLAIM THAT SOVIET COMMERCIAL POWER REACTORS, IN CONTRAST, HAVE NEVER SUFFERED ACCIDENT. CUBANS ALSO DOWNPLAY RISK IN GENERAL OF NUCLEAR ACCIDENTS. END SUMMARY. 2. (U) CUBAN MAJAZINE BOHEMIA, APRIL 13, CARRIES EXTENSIVE COVERAGE OF THREE MILE ISLAND NUCLEAR ACCIDENT WITH ACCOMPANING COMMENTARY SHOWING WHY SIMILAR ACCIDENTS WILL NOT HAPPEN HERE. RAIMUNDO FRANCO PARELLADA, DIRECTOR OF CUBAN INSTITUTE OF NUCLEAR RESEARCH, IS QUOTED AS SAYING THAT: (A) US REACTOR MANUFACTURING SUFFERS FROM LACK OF ADEQUATE REGULATION; (B) SOVIET COMMERCIAL POWER REACTORS--BECAUSE OF SUPERIOR DESIGN--HAVE NEVER SUFFERED AN ACCIDENT; (C) SOVIETS DO NOT HOLD BACK ON INSTALLATION OF REACTOR SAFETY FEATURES EVEN IF IT RAISES INITIAL COST OF INVESTMENT; AND (D) SOVIET REACTORS ARE OPERATED UNDER STRICT STATE SUPERVISION WHICH ENSURES THAT SAFETY MEASURES ARE "ONE-HUNDRED PERCENT" FULFILLED. (FYI REGARDING REACTOR DESIGN, BOHEMIA NOTES THAT SOVIET BBER-1000 REACTOR CONTAINS AT LEAST "SIX SYSTEMS" TO SHUT DOWN REACTOR WHICH MAKES SOVIET REACTOR "VERY MUCH MORE SAFE AND RELIABLE" THAN ANALOGOUS AMERICAN REACTORS. END FYI.) Sheryl P. Walter Declassified/Released US Department of State EO Systematic Review 20 Mar 2014