Eric Schlosser - Command and Control

Soviet copy of, 86

B-36 bombers, 134, 135, 167–68

B-47 bombers, 134, 266, 279

B-52 bombers

and accidents, 191, 245–46, 307–8, 310, 320–22, 375–76, 380–85, 449

age of, 474

in airborne alert, 267–68

bombers, number of (1960), 150

navigator, role of, 378–80

Backpack bomb, 416

Backup crew, xx, 7

Bainbridge, Kenneth, 44

Ball, Desmond, 443

Ballistic Missile Early Warning System (BMEWS), xix, 178, 252–53, 286–87

Ban the Bomb, 183

Baran, Paul, 272

Barksdale Air Force Base (Louisiana)

EOD unit at, 418, 422

Strategic Air Command (SAC) chief at, xvii

Titan II accident communication, 59–60

Barnish, Francis R., Technical Sergeant, 246

Barometric switch, 226

Barry, Harold L., Captain, 167–68

Baruch, Bernard, 79

Batzel, Roger, Dr., 384

Bay of Pigs, Cuba, 278

Bendix Aviation Corporation, 100

Benson, Ezra Taft, 155

Bent Spear, 327

B.E. number, xix, 204

Berlin

airlift, 84, 92

Berlin Wall, 283

Soviet blockade, 84, 92, 278–87

Beryllium, 417, 470

Beta meters, 417, 420

Bethe, Hans, 40

Bigham, Robert, First Lieutenant, 307–8

Bikini atoll, 80, 92, 137, 149

Bin Laden, Osama, raid, complexity of, 475–76

Bison bombers, 150

Black Book (SIOP Decisions Handbook), 359–60

Black hat operation, 230–31, 313, 472

Blair, Bruce G., 443, 467

Blast doors

breach at Damascus complex, 59, 67, 116, 214

credit card, opening with, 231

opening with hand pump, 239, 388, 389, 390

operation of, 21–22

PTS faith in, 106, 116, 238

Bleach

as biological/chemical weapon neutralizer, 415

as propellant neutralizer, 107

Blue Danube, 141

Bockscar , 53

Boeing, xix, 182

Boeschenstein, Harold, 155

Bolshakov, Georgi, 286

BOMARC, xix, 151, 162, 249–50

Bombing Encyclopedia, 204

Bomb shelters/bunkers, 137, 154–55, 156, 159, 223, 252, 255, 270, 273, 274, 304, 359

British, 156–57

Eisenhower-era construction, 154–56, 369

FCDA High Point, 155–56

Greenbrier Hotel bunker, 156

Kindsbach Cave, 156, 255

message to public, 142–43

Mount Weather, 155–56

NATO bunker, 156

under Pentagon, 274, 303–4

SAC command bunker, 154–55, 252

Site R for U.S. officials, 155, 251–52, 273, 365–66, 368, 442

of Soviet Union, 352

for U.S. president, 155–56, 274, 303–4

Bonesteel, Charles H., General, 198

Boosted weapons, 129, 161. See also Genie; Mark 28 bomb

Borchgrave, Arnaud de, 14

Bowling, Russell, Captain, 170

Boylan, Buddy, 401

Bracken, Paul, 443

Bradbury, Norris, 97, 164, 199

Bradley, Omar, General, 87, 124

Braun, Wernher von, 182, 221

Bravo test, 137–41

Brocksmith, Thomas A., Technical Sergeant

maps, lack of, 228–29

position of, xvi, 70

at Titan II accident site, 70, 216, 228–29

Titan II explosion, 396

Broken Arrows, 327, 331, 332, 372, 400, 418, 425, 465–66, 469

Brown, Harold, 251, 363, 424, 483

Brumleve, Thomas, 320

Brzezinski, Zbigniew, 367–68

Buchanan, Ivans, Captain, 315

Buchwald, Art, 432

Bundy, McGeorge, 256, 280, 286

Bunkers. See Bomb shelters

Bunny suit, 417, 420

Burke, Arleigh, Admiral, 201, 203–4, 250

Burn bot, 103–4

Burned Board briefing, 369–70, 376–77

Bush, George H. W., arms control, 458, 482

Bush, George W.

9/11 chaos, 476

nuclear weapons development, 470, 483

Butler, George Lee, General

ends SAC, 458

SIOP revision by, 456–57

Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND), 445

peace symbol logo, xix, 188

Cannon, atomic, 326–27

Carlson, Carl, xvii, 172–73

Carnahan, Charles E., 235–36

Carter, Bill, 439

Carter, Jimmy

and arms control, 362–64

climate in U.S. during presidency, 13–17, 364

and Clinton, 114–15

countervailing strategy of, 364

military buildup under, 364–65

Castro, Fidel, 288

Cervantes, Manuel, Jr., 311

Cesium-137, 139

Challe, Maurice, General, 260

Chambers, William, 425–26

Checklists

as SAC safety measure, 93, 97, 113, 191, 209, 297, 375, 473

and Titan II accident, 58, 68, 209, 227, 428

Chelyabinsk-65 accident, 467

Cheney, Dick, 454–55, 476

Chernenko, Konstantin, 451

Chernobyl accident, 452

Childers, Allan D., Lieutenant

biographical information, 9–11

control center, return after explosion, 428–29

decontamination of, 427–28

evacuates Titan II site, 67–70

at ghost site, 22

on nature of accident, 64–65, 102

Titan II accident response by, 34, 57–59, 64–68, 110, 115–16

Titan II assignment, xv, 8, 11–12, 18–20

Titan II explosion, 395–96, 400–401

China

no-first-use pledge, 477

nuclear weapons of (2013), 477

as U.S. missile target, 11

Christal, Ronald W., Sergeant

expertise of, 390

Titan II explosion, 398, 400

Chrome Dome, 307, 315

Chrysler Corporation, 182

Churchill, Winston

first strike support by, 82

on hydrogen bomb dangers, 141–42

on Iron Curtain, 80

Circular Error Probable, 225

Cities, bomb destruction, social impact of, 119–22

Civil defense drills, Operation Alert (1955), 143–44

Clark, Charles E., Captain, 215

Clark, Judy, 61

Clark, Steve, 113

Clay, Lucius D., General, 84

Clay, Raymond, Major, 307–8

Clesner, George, Lieutenant, 315

Clinton, Bill

as Arkansas governor, 113–15, 433

and Titan II accident, 237, 386, 429–30

Clinton, Hillary Rodham, 115

CNN, Titan II accident coverage, 431–32

Cold War. See also Soviet Union; specific events

Berlin blockade, 84, 92, 278–87

Carter era climate, 13–17, 364

Cuban missile crisis, 12, 288–97, 462–63

deterrence during. See Deterrence strategy

end of, 455, 459

Iron Curtain, 80

Korean War, 99, 125

in Latin America, 288–89

popular culture during, 14–17, 298–99, 304

Soviets and roots of, 80–81

U.S. decline in influence, 13

Vietnam War, 304

Collins, Larry, 14

Combat crew

tasks of, xv, 8–9

training of, 11–12, 18

Command and control

communication problems of, 154, 448

drill, mistaken as weapons launch, 448–49

and Eisenhower, 158–59, 165, 206–7

elements of, 93–94

Global Command and Control System, 474–75

Global Strike Command, 474

Kennedy/McNamara assessment of, 271–75, 279–82, 302–3

launch-on-warning policy, 357, 359–62

military versus civilian control issue, 77–78, 87–88, 94, 125–26, 157–59, 165, 206–7, 355

National Strategic Response Plans, 457

NATO problems, 255–56

Nixon/Kissinger assessment of, 353–55, 361

normal accident theory applied to, 461–63

Operations Plan (OPLAN), 476–77, 483

and overseas bases, 184

Pentagon system for (2013), xx

postattack plans, lack of, 144, 251–52, 254, 274–75, 304, 355–56, 368, 443, 476

president attack order. See President of U.S.

Reagan modernization of, 442–43

and SAC. See Strategic Air Command (SAC)

Single Integrated Operational Plan (SIOP), 202–7, 280–82

Soviet methods, 467–69

and Truman, 77–78, 87–88, 94, 125–26, 157

World Wide Military Command and Control System, 272–75, 303

WSEG Report No. 50 on inadequacy of (1961), 251–55

Committee on Present Danger, 363, 434