Summary of Appreciation of Soviet Atomic Energy Programme - January, 1951

A volume of secretariat minutes of the Joint Intelligence Committee (JIC). The JIC was formed of representatives from the intelligence services, the armed services, and the Foreign Office. Its purpose was to assess military, security, and foreign policy requirements and coordinate Britain's intelligence organisations accordingly. Secretariat minutes were used to pass documents such as JIC sub-committee and working party reports and intelligence assessments to JIC members. Subjects covered in this file include the Soviet atomic energy programme; Argentine claims to have created nuclear weapons; the release of information to the public about classified British scientific research, including the atomic energy programme; the need for greater intelligence on Soviet and Chinese intentions; the reception of defectors from the Eastern Bloc; training to resist Soviet interrogation techniques; the export of technology and equipment to Yugoslavia; and the potential military strength of the Soviet Union in the event of war.