WikiLeaks cables: US agrees to tell Russia Britain's nuclear secrets

[Johnny Utah]

WikiLeaks cables: US agrees to tell Russia Britain's nuclear secrets
By Matthew Moore, Gordon Rayner and Christopher Hope 9:25PM GMT 04 Feb 2011


The US secretly agreed to give the Russians sensitive information on Britain's nuclear deterrent to persuade them to sign a key treaty, The Daily Telegraph can disclose
Information about every Trident missile the US supplies to Britain will be given to Russia as part of an arms control deal signed by President Barack Obama next week.

Defence analysts claim the agreement risks undermining Britain's policy of refusing to confirm the exact size of its nuclear arsenal.

The fact that the Americans used British nuclear secrets as a bargaining chip also sheds new light on the so-called "special relationship", which is shown often to be a one-sided affair by US diplomatic communications obtained by the WikiLeaks website.

Details of the behind-the-scenes talks are contained in more than 1,400 US embassy cables published to date by the Telegraph, including almost 800 sent from the London Embassy, which are published online today. The documents also show that:

• America spied on Foreign Office ministers by gathering gossip on their private lives and professional relationships.


• Intelligence-sharing arrangements with the US became strained after the controversy over Binyam Mohamed, the former Guantánamo Bay detainee who sued the Government over his alleged torture.

• David Miliband disowned the Duchess of York by saying she could not "be controlled" after she made an undercover TV documentary.

• Tens of millions of pounds of overseas aid was stolen and spent on plasma televisions and luxury goods by corrupt regimes.

A series of classified messages sent to Washington by US negotiators show how information on Britain's nuclear capability was crucial to securing Russia's support for the "New START" deal.

WikiLeaks cables: US agrees to tell Russia Britain's nuclear secrets - Telegraph
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Holy <censored> The Obama Administration stabbed one of the greatest allies to the United States and Canada in the back to make a deal with the Russians..

 

[Kreskin]

Baloney, what secrets were shared? You think the Russkies will sign an agreement that allows the US to sell and stockpile weapons in another country? You don't think the Brits might already know this? Where is the evidence that this was done behind the Brits backs?

 

[BaalsTears]

The Obama administration asked the British for permission to transfer the serial numbers of the British Tridents to the Russians and the British refused permission. Despite that Obama transferred the data to the Russians any way.

What is the moral of this story? Obama is willing to betray allies for what he perceives to be America's national interest. Isn't this a comforting thought for America's allies?

 

[Kreskin]

The Obama administration asked the British for permission to transfer the serial numbers of the British Tridents to the Russians and the British refused permission. Despite that Obama transferred the data to the Russians any way.

What is the moral of this story? Obama is willing to betray allies for what he perceives to be America's national interest. Isn't this a comforting thought for America's allies?

That does not appear to be correct:

U.S., U.K. Governments Dispute Report that U.S. Sold Out U.K. During START Negotiations - Political Punch

Crowley emailed ABC News that "Under the 1991 START Treaty, the U.S. agreed to notify Russia of specific nuclear cooperation with the United Kingdom, such as the transfer of SLBM's to the U.K., or their maintenance or modernization. This is under an existing pattern of cooperation throughout that treaty and is expected to continue under New START. We simply carried forward and updated this notification procedure to the new treaty. There was no secret agreement and no compromise of the U.K.'s independent nuclear deterrent."

A knowledgeable source with the British government, speaking anonymously because his government has a policy of not commenting on Wikileaks, says his understanding of the policy conforms with that asserted by the State Department.

 

[BaalsTears]

That does not appear to be correct:

U.S., U.K. Governments Dispute Report that U.S. Sold Out U.K. During START Negotiations - Political Punch


Crowley emailed ABC News that "Under the 1991 START Treaty, the U.S. agreed to notify Russia of specific nuclear cooperation with the United Kingdom, such as the transfer of SLBM's to the U.K., or their maintenance or modernization. This is under an existing pattern of cooperation throughout that treaty and is expected to continue under New START. We simply carried forward and updated this notification procedure to the new treaty. There was no secret agreement and no compromise of the U.K.'s independent nuclear deterrent."

A knowledgeable source with the British government, speaking anonymously because his government has a policy of not commenting on Wikileaks, says his understanding of the policy conforms with that asserted by the State Department.

It's my understanding that Britain denied permission and that the US went ahead anyway. But I'm glad you have faith in American trustworthiness. Anonymous sources don't mean much to me. No offense.

 

[Kreskin]

It's my understanding that Britain denied permission and that the US went ahead anyway. But I'm glad you have faith in American trustworthiness. Anonymous sources don't mean much to me. No offense.

Maybe it was. There are a million Obama haters claiming so but I haven't seen where they got that from.

 

[BaalsTears]

Maybe it was. There are a million Obama haters claiming so but I haven't seen where they got that from.

There once was a common reality that overlapped ideology for Americans. Imo that's gone. There is now the left wing media and a right wing media. Parallel universes. Each side has its own truth. Bush was destroyed. Obama will be destroyed. Very sad.

 

[petros]

What was the deal about disclosure Hillary signed the other day?

 

[Johnny Utah]

Baloney, what secrets were shared? You think the Russkies will sign an agreement that allows the US to sell and stockpile weapons in another country? You don't think the Brits might already know this? Where is the evidence that this was done behind the Brits backs?

It's not baloney it happened and Canada should be wondering if Barry has already sold them out for his own interests..

 

[relic]

Who would be surprised ??I'd trust america as far as I could throw a locomotive,they've been fn other countries over since they decided they had the devine right to do so.