| The U.S. Defense Department says it is still | | | | Security Agency will have some information also," |
| evaluating data from the explosion and small earth | | | | he said. |
| tremor in North Korea on Monday to determine | | | | Another analyst, former CNN reporter Mike |
| whether it was in fact an underground nuclear | | | | Chinoy of the Pacific Council on International |
| test, as the North Korean government claims. | | | | Policy, who has visited North Korea 14 times, |
| Nearly two full days after the explosion in North | | | | says although it is always difficult to know what |
| Korea, U.S. officials, including Pentagon Spokesman | | | | the country's leaders are thinking, he cannot |
| Bryan Whitman, cannot say for sure whether it | | | | imagine they would pretend to conduct a nuclear |
| was a nuclear explosion or not. | | | | test. |
| He said, "We're continuing to assess the event to | | | | He said, "Without being privy to all the scientific |
| determine the veracity of the claim made by the | | | | and intelligence information, my own sense is that |
| North Korean government that they conducted | | | | it would be unlikely for the North Koreans to risk |
| an underground nuclear test." | | | | the kind of reaction they're getting around the |
| Whitman says it takes time to analyze the | | | | world, politically, or to take the step of announcing |
| seismic data, conduct atmospheric tests and do | | | | it this way, both the international community and |
| other work he cannot discuss to determine what | | | | their own people, if they weren't trying to |
| caused the explosion. And he notes that the work | | | | explode something that had a nuclear component." |
| is being done in several parts of the U.S. | | | | Some analysts say the North Korean explosion |
| government and by government and private | | | | may have been a failed nuclear test, or one that |
| researchers around the world. | | | | worked only partially. |
| Former Defense Department technology official | | | | The Washington Times newspaper quotes |
| Philip Coyle, who is now with the Center for | | | | unnamed U.S. intelligence officials as saying that is |
| Defense Information, says the North Korean | | | | exactly what happened. And a South Korean |
| event is particularly hard to analyze. | | | | newspaper quotes a North Korean diplomat as |
| He said, "Well, a reason it's taking so long is that it | | | | saying the same thing. |
| appears to be quite a small nuclear test. Perhaps | | | | That would fit what is known so far about the |
| less than a kiloton, which sounds like a lot but is | | | | North Korean explosion. Philip Coyle at the Center |
| actually small as nuclear devices go." | | | | for Defense Information says there would not |
| The former official, who has 40 years of | | | | seem to be any reason for North Korea to do |
| experience in nuclear testing and evaluation, says | | | | such a small test intentionally, but the secretive |
| it is difficult to isolate the impact of such a small | | | | state might have wanted to keep the world |
| explosion among all the seismic movements | | | | guessing. |
| detected by sensors in the region. | | | | "If North Korea's purpose here is to be seen as a |
| But he says once the event is isolated, experts | | | | major nuclear power, you might think they would |
| can determine whether it was an earthquake, a | | | | want unambiguous test result[s]. But perhaps they |
| conventional explosion or a nuclear detonation. He | | | | meant to make it small. It's hard to know," he |
| says a nuclear explosion originates from a much | | | | said. |
| smaller source than an earthquake or conventional | | | | On Tuesday, White House Spokesman Tony |
| explosion of the same magnitude. | | | | Snow said the world may never know for sure |
| In addition, Philip Coyle says efforts have no | | | | whether the North Korean explosion was nuclear. |
| doubt been made to sample the air near North | | | | But the Pentagon spokesman, Bryan Whitman, |
| Korea. But he says any exhaust from such a | | | | said he believes experts will come up with a clear |
| small test could be very difficult to detect, and | | | | answer. |
| North Korea says there was no such exhaust. | | | | He said, "We don't have to guess. We don't have |
| Beyond that, Coyle says, intelligence agencies are | | | | to speculate. We will know in time. And when we |
| also likely seeking indications of whether the test | | | | know, I'm sure you'll know." |
| was real or not. | | | | Whitman would not say how long the analysis will |
| "There may be some intelligence that intelligence | | | | take, but testing expert Philip Coyle says he |
| agencies will be able to get about it, for example, | | | | thinks there should be a definitive answer within |
| picking up on Internet traffic, voice messages, | | | | another couple of days. |
| things like that. In may be that the National | | | | |