The Doomsday Machine, despite the source, seems to be well worth reading. Thankfully, you don't have to. Given the importance of the topic discussed, and my own keen interest in the topic, I have decided to start a series of posts dedicated to examining the book in depth and fact checking the claims made.
Frankly, I've always been interested in Nuclear deterrence. My grandfather spent his last few years in the Air Force at NORAD as a staff officer, specifically Joint Systems Integrations Officer, he took a leading role in developing the Minimum Essential Communication Network among other things.
During the Cuban Missile Crisis, when he was still flying interceptors, he was sent up with a nuclear air-to-air rocket, the AIR-2 Genie, to launch at potential Soviet bombers. I always remember this particular story because of he described the maneuver he would have to preform to get out of the blast radius in time. If I recall correctly it was a Split-S.
This brings me to an important point made by Mr. Ellsberg. Many Americans, suffering from the illusions produced by Hollywood, assume that only the president can approve the use of a nuclear weapon. Ellsberg challenges this. I think he's right. The book is well-written and full of interesting details.
Verdict: I'll read it for you.
Read Instead: My blog
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