How the United States Lost a Nuclear Device and Recovered an Indian Friend

A joint CIA and Indian intelligence mission in 1965, Operation High Altitude Test, attempted to place a nuclear-powered surveillance device on the Himalayan peak of Nanda Devi to monitor China's nuclear program. The operation failed due to severe weather, and the team was forced to abandon the plutonium-powered device, which was subsequently lost and never recovered. This covert action was part of a broader intelligence partnership between the U.S. and India, which intensified after the 1962 Sino-Indian war. The secret mission was publicly revealed in 1978, leading the Indian Prime Minister to confirm the operation and justify it as a necessary measure against the threat from China.