Alfred Hempel

Alfred Hempel (1920–1989) was a German businessman. He attracted international attention because of his trade and smuggling of materials used in nuclear facilities in Pakistan, India, Argentina and several other countries.[1][2][3][4][5]

During World War II, Hempel received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross while serving as a battalion leader at Kolberg, Pomerania.[6]

Hempel came into the public spotlight after it was revealed in 1988 that he had smuggled Norwegian and Russian heavy water to India. This was used in one of the Indian reactors used for the production of nuclear weapon material. The transfer happened in 1983, and was one of several such operations carried out by Hempel's network of companies. In 1984 Hempel's company was accused by the U.S. Department of State of transferring nuclear technology and material to Libya.[7] In 1994 and 1995, he is said to have arranged the shipment of gas centrifuge parts from Pakistan to Iran via Dubai.[8] Hempel's technique during this and other such operations was to apply for export of the heavy water to a country that already had such material, such as Germany, then divert the shipment to the real buyer. He was involved in transfers of nuclear material from China, the U.S.S.R., and Norway to ultimate buyers including India, South Africa, and Argentina.[9]

Sources

Arild Aspøy: Family Jewels, (Familiejuveler, Cappelen 1990) * http://lccn.loc.gov/90197055

  • Gordon, Michael R. (4 November 1988). "Oslo asserts India got atom material". The New York Times. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
  • "Brisante Lieferung". Der Spiegel. 31 October 1988. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
  • "Waffenexporte: Auch bei Neckermann". Der Spiegel. 9 January 1989. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
  • Milhollin, Gary (10 June 1990). "Asia's Nuclear Nightmare: The German Connection". The Washington Post. Retrieved 4 September 2017.

References
  1. Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists: At your service, 1989
  2. Stopping the Spread of Nuclear Weapons: The Past and the Prospects, David Fischer, pp 138-140
  3. Nuclear Black Markets: Pakistan, A.Q. Khan and the Rise of Proliferation Networks, Mark Fitzpatrick, page 54
  4. Allah's Bomb: The Islamic Quest for Nuclear Weapons, Al J. Venter, page 203
  5. Exporting trouble - West Germany's freewheeling nuclear business, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, Dan Charles, April 1989
  6. Scherzer 2007, p. 380.
  7. Milhollin, Gary (4 January 1989). "Bonn's Proliferation Policy". The New York Times. Retrieved 6 September 2017.
  8. Milholin, Gary (4 March 2014). "Nukes 'R' Us (Opinion)". The New York Times. Retrieved 6 September 2017.
  9. Fitzpatrick, Mark (2007). Nuclear Black Markets: Pakistan, A.Q. Khan and the Rise of Proliferation Networks : a Net Assessment. International Institute for Strategic Studies. p. 54. ISBN 978-0860792017.
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