Operation Smiling Buddha

The first nuclear weapon test carried out by India in 1974 was a “near failure”, claimed a secret US assessment made in 1996, but it does not explain the reasons for it to arrive at such a conclusion.
The National Security Archive (NSA), which obtained these documents from the state department under the Freedom of Information Act and made it public on Friday, noted that such an assertion by the US intelligence community may be a reference to the very low explosive yield of the 1974 nuclear tests.
The nuclear tests codenamed ‘Operation Smiling Buddha’, tested a thermonuclear device in the Pokhran firing range in Rajasthan. Though the yield of the device has been debated since then, it is believed that the actual yield was around 8-12 kilotons of TNT.
The intelligence assessment dated January 24, 1996, also revealed that it was the Indian scientific community who was pushing the then Prime Minister, Narasimha Rao, for another nuclear test.
“Rao’s scientists may be pushing for one or more tests of India’s unproven nuclear design, which probably needed significant reworking after the near ‘failure’ of the 1974 test,” the intelligence assessment said
The Federation of American Scientists said the tests conducted by India on May 18, 1974 may have only been partially successful.

Two top Indian nuclear scientists, both former chairmen of atomic energy commission, have poohpoohed a secret US assessment made on January 24, 1996, that the country’s first nuclear weapon test on May 18, 1974, code named Smiling Buddha was a “near failure.’’
The scientists are Anil Kakodkar and R Chidambaram, both of whom were key players of the “Smiling Buddha,’’ programme. Chidambaram is now principal scientific adviser to the government of India.
The assertion was then made by the US intelligence community. The US National Security Archive, which obtained these documents from the State Department under the Freedom Of Information Act, made it public on Friday.
Kakodkar said that after the test in May 1974 there have been a lot of public debates and discussions, and plenty of data has been made available. In addition, there were a lot of simulations. “Considering this, there is absolutely no doubt that the nuclear test was a cent per cent success.’’ Asked if there was any reason behind the US dubbing the test a near failure, he stated: “Man wants to see what he wants to see and hear what he wants to hear.’’