What were the Los Alamos National Laboratory scientists and others in the US intelligence community reaction to Aziz Pahad's statement that he had been misquoted?

I would also have thought that to conduct a nuclear test you would need some nuclear material. South Africa's stocks were all accounted for and assessments state that they couldn't have conducted such a test until two months after the Vela "Flash" reports. That leaves us with the possibility that if indeed the satellite did detect a nuclear test it was a small Israeli nuke that was tested, using Israeli material to a South African design?? That would also explain why no South African naval vessels were used and confirms that Commodore Dieter Gerhardt hadn't a clue about the test that he stated happened.

Likely? No, it could not have been conducted without extensive monitoring facilities being put in place. Deep in the South Atlantic/Indian Ocean, Israel just simply does not have the logistics to mount such an operation. It would have required the assistance of the South African Navy and there would have been some record of that.

Israel goes nuclear in 1958 and waits until 1979 to conduct a test?? Why?? It would have served Israel's interests to have conducted a "secret" test in a drilled shaft in the Negev in the 1960's - That would have stopped Nasser in his tracks pdq.