U.S. official: N. Korea test likely a 'nuclear fizzle'
One test shows consistency with an atomic explosion, others don't
• No radioactive debris in air sample
Oct. 13: U.S. officials tell NBC News that the intitial test of one atmospheric sample gathered after North Korea claimed to have detonated a nuclear device showed no signs of any increased levels of radiation. NBC's Jim Miklaszewski reports.
MSNBC News Services
Updated: 8:13 p.m. ET Oct. 13, 2006
WASHINGTON - The U.S. government has determined that one scientific test, among many conducted since North Korea's announced nuclear test, was consistent with a nuclear explosion, a senior administration official said Friday night.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, cautioned that the administration has not made a definitive conclusion about the nature of the explosion.
"The betting is that this was an attempt at a nuclear test that failed," the official said. "We don't think they were trying to fake a nuclear test, but it may have been a nuclear fizzle -- an effort that failed." The official spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the information.
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The official said the test measures a type of gas. It is one of a number of analyses conducted this week, which have not provided clarity about what North Korea detonated on Monday.
Earlier Friday, results from another test, an initial air sampling, showed no evidence of radioactive particles that would have been expected from a successful nuclear detonation, a U.S. government intelligence official said.
But those test results did not necessarily mean the North Korean blast was not a nuclear explosion, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to disclose the sampling results.
Data from seismic sensors indicated the explosion was smaller than expected. Scenarios include the possibilities that the explosion was caused by conventional explosives, that the site was so well sealed that no radioactive matter was released, or that it was such a small test that it did not yield enough radioactive debris to be picked up.
In Beijing, a government official said earlier Friday that Chinese monitoring has found no evidence of airborne radiation from North Korea’s claimed nuclear test. The official with the State Environmental Protection Administration said China has been monitoring air samples since the test-explosion Monday.
Bush: Claim is enough of a threat
When President Bush announced Wednesday that he wanted the United Nations and North Korea’s neighbors to take steps aimed at pressuring Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear program, Bush indicated that he saw little distinction between an actual nuclear test by North Korea and its announcement of one.
“The United States is working to confirm North Korea’s claim, but this claim itself constitutes a threat to international peace and stability,” Bush said.
Word of the test results came as the U.S. continued its diplomatic offensive at the United Nations and with Pyongyang’s neighbors, aimed at forcing North Korea to drop its efforts to develop nuclear weapons.
Members of the U.N. Security Council agreed Friday on the wording of a resolution that would clamp sanctions on the communist country. The draft would authorize non-military sanctions against the North, and it says that any further action the council might want to take would require another U.N. resolution.
It also eliminates a blanket arms embargo from a tougher, previous draft, instead targeting specific equipment for sanctions including missiles, tanks, warships and combat aircraft.
The United States, which has sought tough steps that could leave the door open to a blockade or other military action, has had to give ground to gain support from China and Russia. Those countries, along with South Korea, have been reluctant to abandon diplomatic efforts to resolve the standoff.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
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