Operation Argus
South Atlantic in 1958
Shot Argus I, Shot Argus II, & Shot Argus III
Veterans may receive $75,000 Nuclear Test Site Cancer Compensation. Find out if you qualify.
Operation Argus was a series of US low-yield, high-altitude nuclear weapons and missile tests secretly conducted over the South Atlantic Ocean.
The tests were to study the Christofilos effect, which suggested it was possible to defend against Soviet nuclear missiles by exploding a small number of nuclear bombs high over the South Pacific. This would create a disk of electrons over the United States that would fry the electronics on the Soviet warheads as they descended. It was also possible to use the effect to blind Soviet radars, meaning that any Soviet missile-based ABM system would be unable to attack the US counterstrike.
Dates: Aug 25 – Sep 10, 1958
Videos
Operation Argus - The Secret Atmospheric Nuclear Tests to Create a Man-Made Radiation Belt
List of Participants
| SHOT | DATE | SITE | US SHIP PARTICIPATION |
| Argus I | 8/27/1958 | South Atlantic | Tarawa, Bearss, Courtney, Hammerberg, Warrington, Neosho, Salamonie, Norton Sound, Albemarle |
| Argus II | 8/30/1958 | South Atlantic | Tarawa, Bearss, Courtney, Hammerberg, Warrington, Neosho, Salamonie, Norton Sound, Albemarle |
| Argus III | 9/6/1958 | South Atlantic | Tarawa, Bearss, Courtney, Hammerberg, Warrington, Neosho, Salamonie, Norton Sound, Albemarle |
Contact Us for More Information
If you believe you were exposed to the effects of Operation Argus and were subsequently diagnosed with cancer, please call the National Cancer Benefits Center at (800) 414-4328 or use our online form to request more information.
