20 Mishaps That Might Have Started Accidental Nuclear War

reply to post by deltaalphanovember


He was scary crazy, but he knew exactly what he was doing most of the time. There were times when I thought he was going to push us into something huge, but he always knew just how far to go. I heard a great quote supposedly by him that I don't remember exactly, but it was supposed to be when he fired the air traffic controllers that were on strike.

Something to the effect of "You have to make the other guy think that you are crazy enough to push the button, so they back down."

reply to post by Zaphod58


that's funny ... but I have used that tactic a few times as a last resort ... with varying results (when retreat was no longer an option).

reply to post by deltaalphanovember


Thanks for sharing this link, very interesting read.

During Cuban missile Crisis of 1962 Soviets sent a number of FOXTROT (NATO Designation) class diesel subs
ro escort the merchant ships carring the missiles and their nuclear warheads

These subs carried nuclear armed torpedoes

US navy began to agrssively "sit" on these subs preventing them from snorkeling to recharging their batteries
and air supply in the boats.

US used small explosive charges as part of sonar increasing the paranoia of the Soviet sub commanders

One sub commander wanted to launch nuclear torpedo against US battle group - an arguement broke out
between him, his exec and the political officer - all of them required to authorize launch of torpedo

The other officers were able to calm him down

Another thing which was not revealed for many years after was presence of large number of tactical nuclear
weapons in Cuba

This included short range (25 miles) FROG 3 (Soviet designation LUNA) battle field missiles with 2 KT warheads

Cruise missiles - SS-1 ( Nato designation SAMLET, Soviet FKR) with 14 kt warheads

Gravity bombs for IL 28 (NATO BEAGLE)

Over 100 warheads for these weapons were on the island unknown to US intelligence

Local commanders had authorization to use them if US attempted an invasion

Frightening to think about........

Originally posted by Wrabbit2000

6) October 25, 1962- Cuban Missile Crisis: Intruder in Duluth

At around midnight on October 25, a guard at the Duluth Sector Direction Center saw a figure climbing the security fence. He shot at it, and activated the "sabotage alarm." This automatically set off sabotage alarms at all bases in the area. At Volk Field, Wisconsin, the alarm was wrongly wired, and the Klaxon sounded which ordered nuclear armed F-106A interceptors to take off. The pilots knew there would be no practice alert drills while DEFCON 3 was in force, and they believed World War III had started.

Immediate communication with Duluth showed there was an error. By this time aircraft were starting down the runway. A car raced from command center and successfully signaled the aircraft to stop. The original intruder was a bear.

(Op Link)

Good Lord... It's just a miracle the world survived that period of history....to the extent it's actually behind us.

Oh, the irony for Mr Murphy to see from far above. World War III WOULD have started because of 'The Bear' attacking U.S. Nuclear Forces. I guess you really can't make this stuff up... wow.

can anybody explain to me here is why: 1. The placement of american missiles in Turkey is good 2.. The placement of soviet missiles on Cuba is bad and who was going to start a nuclear war in 1962 as far as I remember these events the USSR was not going to attack the United States in 1962

I can't understand the logic of these misanthropes - kill 50 million Russians and the same number of Americans due to several dozens of missiles?

According to the official Soviet version of " the crisis has caused preceding the events accommodation in 1961 the United States in Turkey (the country-the member of NATO) medium-range missiles «Jupiter», directly threatened the cities in the Western part of the Soviet Union, reaching to the Moscow and the main industrial centres. In response to an adequate[clarify] measures on Cuba were placed Soviet nuclear missiles
I think that Khrushchev and Kennedy were complete idiots when they put the world on the brink of destruction I'm afraid that after the arrival of Romney to power everything will be repeated
I think that Khrushchev was a big fool and provoker and Kennedy was a very sick man

that is why they almost gave us the end of the world

reply to post by oldoaskol


I think in general humans are not the healthiest species to have handling the power of life and death. With our politicians and generals, it is an outright miracle that we have not yet extinguished the delicate flame of life on this precious planet.