I came across this interesing account of five times that the U.S. and Soviets nearly accidently started nuclear wars.
I’d heard about some of them, but this one was news to me:
On Nov. 9, 1979, in what Forden calls “the training tape incident,” three command posts showed a massive Soviet nuclear strike headed toward the United States.
American intercontinental ballistic missiles were alerted, jet fighters were scrambled, and an airborne command center – known as the president’s “doomsday plane” – took to the air, although without the president aboard.
When ground-based radars showed no incoming missiles, no counterattack was launched. It was later determined that a training tape simulating a Soviet attack had been mistakenly inserted into the Pentagon’s computer system.
Heh heh. Whoopsie! Just a training tape, guys…
It’s high time we quit playing with the fire that is nuclear weaponry.
Take it from someone who had to run those sorta drills when I worked at the White House during Reagan’s 2nd term (I would also have to carry the “football� between the President’s Military Aide and the Command Center … made me sweat with stress every time) … nobody wins a nuclear war … nobody … they’re just hoping for M.A.D. (Mutually Assured Destruction).
Matt
Yeah, I know what you mean. The thought of you with the nuclear football makes me sweat, too. 🙂
Mark, you are so lucky that I read your response after I mailed Burt Rutan’s autograph to you … HA!!!
Matt
Timing is everything, my friend.