Whew!
That was my reaction to reading Eric Schlosser’s detailed account of the USA’s nuclear weapons program over the years in his book “Command and Control: Nuclear Weapons, the Damascus Accident, and the Illusion of Safety”
Schlosser tells of many near catastrophes where accidental nuclear explosions were narrowly avoided. Airplane crashes with fully armed nuclear bombs, accidents in missile silos, and more.
Few grasp the enormous power of these weapons. I know I didn’t. “The (Titan II nuclear) warhead had a yield of 9 megatons,” Schlosser writes, “about three times the explosive force of all the bombs dropped during the Second World War, including both atomic bombs.”
There were 54 Titan II missile sites that were on alert across the United States from 1963 to 1987. In reading Command and Control I came to the realization that working on the project at defense contractor Martin Marietta was probably the way my Father supported our family. Dad always talked of layoffs at Martin, and there were a bunch over the years, but my Dad always kept his job as one of Martin’s buyers. As a remnant of those days I still have a Titan II model Dad gave me (pictured above).
Command and Control is not an easy read, but for those interested in learning more about the nuclear threat it is worthwhile. “As of this writing, a nuclear weapon has not destroyed a city since August 1945,” Schlosser writes, “but there are no guarantees that such good luck will last.”
