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Unlike Western accounts that focus on Pakistan, Chengappa argues that China was the primary raison d'être for India’s bomb. The book details India’s “minimum credible deterrent” and the targeting matrix designed specifically for Beijing and Shanghai.

The book’s climax details the 12 days leading to the 1998 tests. Chengappa reveals how Atal Bihari Vajpayee kept the secret from 99% of his own cabinet, how the US CIA was fed disinformation about a test site in Rajasthan (when the real one was Pokhran), and the dramatic phone call where Vajpayee informed Bill Clinton.

The impact of regional threats, specifically the growing capabilities of Pakistan (e.g., the Ghauri missile) and China. Nuclear Crises: