Atomic Testing in Mississippi: Project Dribble and the Quest for Nuclear Weapons Treaty Verification in the Cold War Era

David Allen Burke's Atomic Testing in Mississippi is a valuable study of an important topic that has received little scholarly attention. At a time of high tensions and deep suspicions during the Cold War, the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) conducted two nuclear tests in a salt dome in Mississippi. Code-named “Dribble,” the tests were not intended to improve weapons but to collect information on detecting underground explosions. This was a critical step toward reaching arms control agreements in later years. Growing public concern over radioactive fallout from atmospheric weapons testing after the mid-1950s and the signing of the Limited Test Ban Treaty in 1963 led to the development of underground nuclear experiments. The move underground raised concerns that the Soviet Union would carry out surreptitious tests and in that way gain a significant advantage in the arms race. The Dribble tests were part of a larger series used by...