Henry Sokolski, Plutonium, Nuclear Proliferation, and International Debate Henry Sokolski discusses the global debate surrounding plutonium, a highly poisonous substance used in nuclear weapons, especially by China, South Korea, and Britain. He explains
The John Batchelor Show
John Batchelor
4.5 • 2.8K Ratings
🗓️ 6 September 2025
⏱️ 10 minutes
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Summary
Henry Sokolski, Plutonium, Nuclear Proliferation, and International Debate
Henry Sokolski discusses the global debate surrounding plutonium, a highly poisonous substance used in nuclear weapons, especially by China, South Korea, and Britain. He explains that plutonium can be extracted from nuclear power reactors and quickly used to make a bomb, similar to the Nagasaki weapon. Sokolski criticizes the US Energy Department for suggesting that new reactor designs like Natrium and Ollo can extract plutonium while leaving enough radionuclides to prevent bomb-making, a claim previously debunked by studies. He highlights proliferation risks, citing South Korea's historical attempts to use civil reprocessing to acquire nuclear weapons.
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| 0:30.0 | This is CBS Eye on the World. Here's John Batchelor. |
| 0:38.8 | This is CBS. I on the world. I'm John Batchel. I welcome my colleague, Henry Sikoski, the executive director of the Non-Proliferation Policy Education Center, watching plutonium, the most poisonous substance |
| 0:46.0 | in the solar system to my knowledge. However, Henry, a very good evening to you. I learn |
| 0:52.1 | from your guidance. The plutonium is much on the minds of China, to begin with, South Korea, Britain, and there are other sovereign states thinking about it. |
| 1:05.2 | The reason has to do with the fact that plutonium is a product in some fashion of nuclear power reactors. And the |
| 1:12.7 | plutonium makes a bomb similar to the Nagasaki bomb of World War II, but much bigger. Right now, |
| 1:21.4 | you tell me that the U.S. Energy Department is telling allies and adversaries, China being an adversary, that it is possible to make it difficult, if not, not likely, that you can extract plutonium from what is left in uranium reactors. |
| 1:40.0 | Is that accurate, Henry? Good evening to you. |
| 1:42.8 | Good evening. It's great to be on your show again. |
| 1:45.2 | Thank you. |
| 1:46.7 | Roughly, yes. |
| 1:48.8 | The proponents, which includes the people backing the Natrium reactor, which is Bill Gates, |
| 1:56.5 | and the Oklo reactor, which is Mr. Ackerman, basically say we think we can extract the plutonium |
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