Author(s): Adrian Levy

Current Affairs & Politics

"Deception" exposes the terrifying truth about the proliferation of nuclear weapons amongst the rogue states and terrorist organizations which now threaten to destabilize the entire world. This book is essential reading for fans of Seymour Hersh, Richard Preston, Mark Bowden, and Jason Burke. On 15 December 1975, A. Q. Khan - a young Pakistani nuclear scientist working in Holland - stole top secret blueprints for a revolutionary new process to arm a nuclear bomb. His original intention was to provide for Pakistan a counter to India's ongoing pursuit of an atomic bomb. But over time that ambition mushroomed into a vast nuclear black market sanctioned by Pakistan's military elite - financed by aid money from the United States, Saudi Arabia and Libya, as well as boundless assistance from China. They secretly sold weapons to Iran, North Korea, and many others - with the clear knowledge of the American government, for whom Pakistan was a crucial buffer against the Soviets and now an ally in the 'war on terror'.