Eric Schlosser - Command and Control

Operation Chrome Dome, 267

Operation Gomorrah, 45

Operation Mongoose, 288

Operation Neptune Spear, 475–76

Operation RYAN, 446

Operations Plan (OPLAN), xxi, 476–77, 483

Operation Tailwind, 150

Oppenheimer, J. Robert

and atomic policy, 77, 79

on hydrogen bomb dangers, 123

Manhattan Project, 40, 43, 44, 49

position of, xvii, 36

Project Vista, 130

Orr, Verne, 439

Osborn, Richard K., 197–98, 347

Oxidizers

dangers to humans, 4–5, 32, 62, 63, 104, 346, 421, 439

Launch Complex 533-7 accident, 339–46

nitrogen tetroxide, 4–5, 25, 436

oxidizer trailer leak (1978), 62, 63, 111–12

safety lock, 28

Pakistan

nuclear threat from, 479–81

vulnerability to terrorists, 480

Panetta, Leon, 475–76

Parachute, hydrogen bomb delivery, 134–36, 246, 258

Parish, Ralph and Reba Jo, 111, 112, 236, 484

Parsons, William S., Captain, 50–52

Partridge, Earle E., Major General, 83

Parts per million (PPM), numbers in Titan II accident, 57, 234, 238, 242, 341, 391, 392

Payne, Robert, Major, 310

Peacemaker missiles, 441, 444

Peace symbol, as antiwar group logo, xix, 188

Peedlin, Parker, Captain, 310

Pentagon

nuclear attack order system (2013), xx

power over nuclear weapons, 370

Percy, Charles H., 253–54

Perimeter system, 467–68

Permissive action links (PALs), xxi, 265, 293, 298, 313, 371, 440–41

Perrow, Charles B., 460–61, 464

Perry, William J., 481–82

Pershing II missiles, 441–42, 447–51

Peterson, Peter G., 253

Peterson, Val, 142–44

Petit Jean Electric Company, 217–18

Petrov, Stanislav, Lieutenant Colonel, 447

Peurifoy, Bob

biographical information, 98–99

bomb development projects, 99–100, 135, 160, 326

on future strategy, 483–84

position of, xvii, 331, 453

and Titan II warhead assessment, 395, 425, 426–27

weapons safety efforts, 196–97, 320, 331–33, 372–77, 440–41, 453–54, 468–69

Philby, Kim, 466

Phillips, Tom

at Titan II accident site, 60, 62–64, 236

Titan II explosion, 392–94

Picket ships, 151

Pig X-ray, 432

Pipes, Richard, 363

Plumb, Jeffrey, Airman

dropped socket accident, 7, 56, 60

evacuation order to, 56–57

Titan II repair task, xv, 3, 5–7, 29

Plutonium

accidental release, risk of, 164, 166, 170, 262, 332, 456, 464, 471

composite core with uranium, 99

dangers to humans, 54, 94–95, 164

decontamination difficulty, 317–18, 323–24

explosive capacity of, 38–39

first nuclear device assembly, 35–37

released in accidents, 185, 249, 309, 316–18, 322–23, 384, 430

Polaris system, 182, 200–201, 265–66, 273, 313–14

Poseidon missile, 353

Post Attack Command and Control System, 273

Powell, Colin, 455, 458–59, 482

Powell, David, Senior Airman

dropped socket accident, 7, 56, 60, 64, 109, 437

evacuation order to, 56–57

postaccident reprimand, 438

relationship with Kennedy, 109

Titan II accident response by, 109–10, 115–17

Titan II repair task, xv, 3, 5–7, 29

wrong tool used by, 109, 438

Power, Thomas S., General

and airborne alert, 179–81, 188, 190

on Atlas unreliability, 222

on attacking Soviets, 277–79, 283–84

on counterforce strategy, 267

and Cuban missile crisis, 292–93

position of, xvii, 179, 258

SIOP revision blocked by, 302–3

President of U.S. See also specific presidents

nuclear attack order by, 78, 149, 165, 190, 207, 256, 265, 271–72, 287, 296–97, 301, 303, 359–63, 367–68, 476

sheltering during attack, 143, 155–56, 274, 303–4

Probability of kill (PK), xxi, 162

Project 56, Genie safety investigation, 163–66

Project Brass Ring, 134

Project Caucasian, 135

Project Crescent, 331

Project ELF, 442

Project Greek Island bunker, 156

Project Paperclip, 135

Project Vista, 130, 131

Propaganda, Soviet, on U.S. nuclear weapons, 140, 175, 185, 187–89, 287, 444

Propellants. See also specific types

Aerozine-50 rocket fuel, 4

burn bot, 103–4

dangers to humans, 4–5, 25, 32, 104

hypergolic propellants, 4

leak, pressure check, 58

liquid oxygen (LOX), 222, 269

mixing and Titan launch, 4

neutralizing in hazard, 107

nitrogen tetroxide, 4–5

during recycle, 103–4

safety lock, 28

Propellants. See also specific types (cont.)

solid fuel, 7, 137, 266

tank pressure, checking, 58

toxic cloud mapping, 59, 215

Propellant Tank Pressure Monitor Unit (PTPMU)

function of, xxi

Titan II tank pressure monitoring, 58, 65–67

Propellant Transfer System (PTS)

function of, xxi

oxidizer low light, 5–6

Propellant Transfer System (PTS) Team A. See also specific team members

evacuates Titan II site, 69–70

members of, xv, 5, 29

postaccident scapegoating of, 437–38

and Titan II accident, 56–58, 65–67, 69–70

Propellant Transfer System (PTS) Team B. See also specific team members

communication problems of, 216–17, 218

death of member, 430–31, 436–37

enter Titan II complex, 241–42

equipment of, 106–7, 211, 216, 241–42

injured crew, rescue of, 409–14

members of, xv–xvi, 106–7

postaccident scapegoating of, 438–40

at Titan II accident site, 236–37

Propellant Transfer System (PTS) teams

dangers of job, 32, 338

members, traits of, 32, 102, 105

oxidizer trailer leak (1978) repair, 62, 111–12

repair protocol for, 7

RFHCO gear, use of, 5–6

rules, violation by, 104, 116–18, 438

tasks of, xv

and Titan II accident. See Propellant Transfer System (PTS) Team A; Propellant Transfer System (PTS) Team B; specific team members

training of, 5, 103–4, 338, 339, 346

Protective gear, Category I, 5–6. See also Rocket Fuel Handler’s Clothing Outfit (RFHCO)

Pryor, David H.

Titan II accident, reaction to, 386–87, 430, 432

Titan II dangers, informants on, 337–38, 347

warning siren for communities amendment, 347, 385–86

Psychological factors

and accident risk, 192–94

in deterrence strategy, 124–25

military drug/alcohol use, 349–51

presidential nuclear attack decision, 359–60

psychological warfare strategy, 446

soldiers’ reaction to blast experiment, 326–27

Purge fan, 58

Quarles, Donald A.

position of, xviii, 166, 223

safety concerns of, 171, 174

QUICKCOUNT, 353

R-16 missile, 269–70

Rabi, Isidor, 123

Radar fuzes, 135–36

Radford, Arthur W., 87

Radiation implosion, 128

Radiation sickness

as irreversible, 139

and Japanese, 54

Lucky Dragon crew, 140

Rongelap island villagers, 140

Slotin, death of, 95

Radioactive fallout, 138–39

dangers to humans, 139

early and delayed, 138–39

Ramoneda, Paul, Sergeant, 169–70

Ramsay, Norman F., 36

Rathgeber, David, Lieutenant, 391

Rausch, Gene, 383

Raven Rock Mountain, bunker/shelter. See Site R

RDS-1 atomic bomb, 85–86

RDS-6 thermonuclear bomb, 132

Ready/safe switch, 246–47, 298, 320, 374

Reagan, Ronald

arms control efforts, 451–53

command-and-control modernization, 442–43

and disarmament movement, 445–46

Grenada invasion, 448

military buildup under, 433–35, 441–42, 471–72

presidential campaign, 14, 115