The History, And Secrets Of the Nuclear Football
The fate of humanity lies within the most lethal case in the world, which is kept near American’s Commander and Chief, also known as the President of The United States. This deadly, but intimidating case, known as the Nuclear Football, is what keeps America safe from a nuclear attack for other countries.
Why the Nuclear Football Came. The lethal case first appeared in 1969, during the the Cuban Missile Crisis. Presidents JFK was the first president to carry the case when the deadly case before he was assassinated. During the Cuban Missile Crisis, the National Security and Defence noticed that it’s important that the President has hand-on access to the nuclear missile storage in case of a
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Across the world, another man with the same power to end human life at the same cost of nuclear destruction. “Its insane that two men, sitting on opposite ends of the world, should be able to decide to bring an end to civilization.” - John F. Kennedy. After the case was first launched, Kennedy had locks placed on the nuclear missiles for alternatives to the “All or nothing” plan in the MAD (Mutually Assured Destruction) Doctrine.
The Football The Nuclear Football got its name from a secret code called “Dropkick” which is the name for the nuclear strike plan inside the case. According the former US Secretary of Defence, Robert McNamara, initiating a Dropkick would require one of these footballs. Inside the case, according to Bill Gulley, a former White house military officer director, the leather case contains…
A 75-page black book containing nuclear strike options printed in red ink.
Another black book containing classified sites to shelter the President.
A manila folder containing 10-pages of how to start the Emergency Broadcast
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The football was placed in a large see-through bag along with other personal items of Reagan. Reagan’s case and personal items were missing for several hours with no idea where the could of been placed or who could've taken them. After several hours of chaos and searching for the deadly case, the bag with the case and personal items were found in the hospital in the storage room where it was hidden by an unknown person. During this event that took place, this is the only time that the nuclear football was out of the hands of the President or one of his military aids. Only the world knows what could’ve happened if the case fell into the wrong hands. The world could turned out completely different if the case was used against American due to the case holding the ability to end human life in blink of an
The Cuban Missile Crisis forever marked 1962 as the year the world almost witnessed a nuclear war. The Soviet Union, Cuba, and the United States were all teetering on the edge of a cliff that was crumbling from the weight of fear, tension, and secrecy. It also marked the official end of Americans innocent belief that they were safe in the glow of Lady Liberty’s torch. Yet amidst the dark shadow of nuclear threat one American president rose to this challenge and proved that peace through strength is the best strategy.
Premier Nikita Khrushchev described it as, “The two most powerful nations had been squared off against each other, each with its finger on the button.” (Nuclear). If this other World War or massive nuclear war would have occurred, just think of where we would be today.
To discuss about the conclusion of the Dodge’s case study, I think I should explain the concept of brinkmanship first. As we know, Brinkmanship is deliberately put crisis to the brink of disaster. At some point of using brinkmanship, will be able to increase the players ' negotiating leverage - -participants. For example, the struggle between National political and military, if a long-term military confrontation between the two countries, both sides have nuclear weapons, the weaker side in order to avoid a conventional war can be used to launch nuclear weapons to threat another one which side is stronger. However, this threat may be considered to be incredibly for strong side. The question is coming that how it can threaten by one of the weak side becomes confidence and let stronger side believe in weak side? Perhaps the country 's leader can devolve control of nuclear weapons - nuclear weapons are arranged at the border, targeting the enemy and by a general to grasp the nuclear button. This seems to be more dangerous, but in fact may produce a real strong deterrent. Once the outbreaks of war in the border, despite the weak leaders do not want to start nuclear button, finally the general who faced death may also start nuclear button to meet them death together. This is most famous case in history happened in the Cold War of Cuban Missile Crisis. I will pay attention to this case in the following paragraph.
This article “When Theodore Roosevelt Saved Football” by Bruce Watson is mainly to inform readers about how Theodore Roosevelt influenced and saved the once-endangered sport American football by making it safer. The author begins by comparing American football today to football in the past as deadly. The author states that in today’s American football it is known for causing fewer injuries and least lethal, however, during Roosevelt’s time the players sustained more injuries and deaths due to minimal protective equipment and momentum plays. Watson mentions Roosevelt’s proposal about the pros and cons of football at meetings with college coaches and athletic directors. The meetings were postponed due to football’s scrutiny of violence.
Bruce Watson, author of “When Theodore Roosevelt Saved Football,” explored the impact that the former president, Theodore Roosevelt had on football. One of the main objectives of the author was to inform the reader about how the game of football was different compared to the way we play the game today. The author, “Bruce Watson” went deep into detail about how injuries to players were occurring at alarming rates. Football today stands accused of causing brain damage and spinal injuries, but football in Roosevelt’s time was often lethal. Players wore flimsy padding and leather helmets. Every game saw several players carried unconscious from the field. During Roosevelt’s time 45 young men died playing college or high school football. Theodore
In the piece, “When Theodore Roosevelt Saved Football” by Bruce Watson, the author presents the notion that President Roosevelt was able to make the game safer, and thusly save it through cooperation and mediation. After brokering a treaty for the Russo-Japanese War, Roosevelt was presented a desperate plea from ivy-league college faculty and staff, asking him to lead a reform on the lethal game of football. Although Roosevelt was initially opposed to idea, as he liked to think that the sport built character and injuries were an uncommon occurrence, but the fact of the matter was that injuries were becoming more and more common. In addition to the rising number of injuries, President Roosevelt’s own son would also get involved, getting injured
As the Korean War came to an end, superpowers America and the Soviet Union continued to test atomic bombs, more powerful and effective. However, after tests on an atomic bomb that had been fused, also known as the hydrogen bomb, the leaders and scientists of both countries were shocked by the results (technological advances are not always the best for the future). The immense destruction caused by this bomb would annihilate the entire human population if set in a war (which is why war is dangerous). At the same time, leaders came and went, each with their different ideas and opinions, as some believed that the bomb could only be used in total war, while others thought that the bomb could only be used as a way to threaten other countries into
The event of the Cuban Missile Crisis of October 1962 was the closest the world has ever come to nuclear war. Fifteen years into the cold war, the two superpowers continued the fierce competition to increase their military strength. In 1962, the Soviet Union was desperately behind the United States in the nuclear arms race. Soviet missiles were only powerful enough to be launched against Europe, whereas the US missiles were capable of striking the entire Soviet Union. In late April 1962, Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev conceived the idea of placing intermediate-range missiles in Cuba which would double the Soviet strategic arsenal and provide a real deterrent to a potential U.S. attack against the Soviet Union. The fate of millions
The first use of nuclear weaponry in warfare occurred on the morning of August 6, 1945 when the United States dropped the atomic bomb known as “Little Boy” on Hiroshima, Japan. The result was devastating, demonstrating the true power of nuclear warfare. Since the incident, the world has been left fearing the possible calamity of another nuclear war. Joseph Siracusa’s Nuclear Weapons: A Very Short Introduction explains aspects of nuclear weaponry from simply what a nuclear weapon is, to the growing fear from nuclear warfare advancements in an age of terrorism. The book furthered my education on nuclear weapons and the effect they place on society, physically and mentally.
President Kennedy meets with General Walter Sweeney. Sweeney tells him that an airstrike will not guarantee the destruction of the missiles. The possibility of a naval blockade, or quarantine, is explored. An advisor, Ted Sorenson, writes the speech that Kennedy will give to the American public.
The 1964 film, Fail-Safe answers the question “what if nuclear war was started by accident?” by offering a reasonable example, mechanical malfunction. It demonstrates how the government’s organizational structure combined with prolonged paranoia and increased reliance on computer technology is a lethal recipe when things go wrong. Fail-Safe continues to effectively leave viewers with chills as we examine our governmental structure and use of technology as a crutch today. Nuclear war caused by a mechanical malfunction is the central crisis in the film.
The Cuban Missile Crisis of October 1962 was the closest the world has ever come to nuclear war. The crisis was a major confrontation between the United States and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. The confrontation was caused by the Soviets putting missiles in Cuba, just 90 miles off the coast of the United States of America. The world was in the hands of President John F. Kennedy and Premier Nikita Khruchchev. These two men would have to reach a compromise or else the results would be fatal.
When speaking about the Cuban Missile Crisis, President Kennedy said, "It is insane that two men, sitting on opposite sides of the world, should be able to decide to bring an end to civilization” (“Nuclear Test Ban Treaty” 1). the Cuban Missile Crisis was a time where these two men, Kennedy and Khrushchev, had the power in their hands to end civilization. In order to understand the importance of the Cuban Missile Crisis one must understand, the Cold war drama; the dangerous crisis; and its importance today.
“Mankind must put an end to war before war puts an end to mankind.” said John F. Kennedy. The arms race between the Soviet
It’s 2028 and the two nuclear giants are fighting against each other. Thousands dead, buildings in ashes and many hopes destroyed. Yet the worst is yet to come. The temperature of the world is decreasing to new records and is staying like that for many years to come. This is a nuclear winter that many scientists have predicted for decades. A nuclear weapon uses either uranium or plutonium. They work by using a nuclear reaction which breaks down an atom or nucleus into two pieces. This process produces a significant amount of energy which leads to an explosion. (Chan) A nuclear weapon can also be as big as a refrigerator or as small as a warhead. (Daniel) The first nuclear weapon was made in the 1930s known as the “Manhattan Project” made by the U.S. This project was suspended after Hitler was killed, but the U. S. used the weapon due to Japan attacking Pearl Harbor. This attack put the U. S. in a rage, so the U. S had a plan to use the weapon and another nuclear weapon. The U. S dropped a bomb named “Little Boy” on Hiroshima, which followed with the biggest explosion ever witnessed. Then the U. S dropped another bomb. (Lemouse) This was the first and last time anyone used a nuclear bomb, for now. While several people in the government and regular citizens argue that nuclear weaponry is stopping from giving any threats, but nuclear weaponry is actually causing an environmental turmoil and a radiation that will affect everyone in the vicinity for many ages to come.