Former President Richard Nixons and his wife were exposed to potentially harmful radiation during their state visit to Moscow in 1959, the secrecy reveals intelligence documents.
What happened: Nixon, then Vice President of the Dwight D Eisenhower administration, lived in Spaso housethe official residence of the US ambassador in Moscow, and was not informed of the threat, the documents said.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs was only informed afterwards in 1976 Jacob Goldena member of Nixon’s Secret Service, said detection equipment measured significant levels of radiation in and around the dormitories where Nixon stayed.
Golden later revealed that the State Department told him that Nixon had been exposed to “massive doses” of ionizing radiation produced by nuclear batteries used by then-Soviet spies to power listening devices. The radiation has enough energy to damage cells and change DNA.
“We . . . started berating the Russians out loud, cursing them for pulling such a trick and wondering out loud why they thought we were fools and asking each other if they thought they could get away with it would,” Golden testified.
Prior to his visit to Moscow, another intelligence official had asked Nixon if he wanted the radiation detectors on the trip, since Soviet officials visiting the US usually carried one with them. He declined, adding that he didn’t want to know that the matter had been discussed.
Although the incident came to light in 1976, this is the first time the underlying documentation has been released by the Nixon Presidential Library National Security Archive.
Continue reading: Kim Jong Un could soon launch a new missile submarine, satellite images allegedly show
Photo courtesy of The US National Archives
