This draft reply to Leonid Brezhnev's August 1977 message to Jimmy Carter on the suspicious site in the Kalahari Desert includes a number of interesting points, among them a request for the "geographic coordinates, size, configuration, and exact nature of the facility." Presumably this information would be used by the US to better target its reconnaissance satellites on the site.

This issue includes an extract from a recent study on Pakistan and two highly technical articles relating to on-going research to identify the signatures of high explosives used for the implosion method of nuclear detonation. It also includes a report that utilized open literature and classified intelligence, including two satellite photographs, the purpose of the article is to illuminate how the South African Government intended to use the site, down to the depth and thickness of the bore holes.

This report for the Energy Research and Development Administration (ERDA) pointed to downsides of US and international pressures against pariah or otherwise beleaguered states such as South Africa and Israel and against would-be nuclear proliferants. They might cooperate to advance their goals.

Reid of the UK's Central and Southern African Department describes a recent visit to Pretoria, South Africa, during which he heard supposedly non-nuclear explosions taking place at the Kalahari Desert facility.

H.M.S. Reid writes a draft letter to South African concerning the possibility that South African would perform non-nuclear test explosions at the site in the Kalahari Desert.

Mallaby addresses Sir David Scott's 6 October letter concerning the possible South African nuclear test site in the Kalahari desert.

Mallaby summaries actions taken in response to accusations that South Africa is preparing to test a nuclear device.

Summary of Washington Star newspaper article on Carter administration concerns that South Africa was developing nuclear weapons.

In response to Mallaby's letter, Reid dismisses the American explanation for the South African Kalahari nuclear testing facility. He believes that the South Africans "feel increasingly threatened and foresee a possible need to use nuclear weapons in their own defence if it should come to that."

Nye stated that at present the United States preferred to "concentrate on pressing South Africa to adhere to the NPT rather than continuing to enquire about the nature of the Kalahari facility." The State Department assessment was that while South Africa was capable of building a bomb at short notice, they did not actually plan to test one at this time.