Eric Schlosser - Command and Control

Steinbruner, John D., 443

Stevens, William L.

position of, xvii

weapons safety efforts, 326–28, 331, 373–75, 450

Stevenson, Adlai, 296

Stewart, Jimmy, 147–49

Stimson, Henry, 45, 76

Storage of weapons. See Nuclear weapons storage

Strategic Air Command (film), 148–49

Strategic Air Command (SAC). See also Butler, George Lee, General; LeMay, Curtis E., General; Little Rock SAC command post; Omaha SAC command post

accident prevention. See Checklists; Standardization; Two-man policy

airborne alert, 179–81, 188, 190–91, 267, 319–20, 325

bomb storage sites close to, 100

coded switch combination, 371

command bunker of, 154–55, 252

deficiencies of (1949), 88–89, 92

Eisenhower-era power of, 132–33

end of, 458, 472

film about, 148–49

function of, xxii, 88

heads of. See Power, Thomas S., General

Human Reliability Program, 298, 351

overseas bases, 149

pilots’ negativity toward, 347–48

Soviet strike plan (1955), 149–50

Strategic Operational Control System (SOCS), 154

successor to, 474

Titan II accident, secrecy about, 63–64, 112–13, 236, 418–19, 424, 429–32, 436

Titan II launch procedure, 27–28

two-man policy, 28, 30, 298

Strategic bombing strategy, 45, 87, 91, 130, 205

Strategic Defense Initiative (Star Wars), 447, 451, 452

Strategic Deterrence and Global Strike, 476–77

Strategic Operational Control System (SOCS), 154

Strath, William, 141–42

Strath Report, 141–42, 156

Stratotanker, 209

Strauss, Lewis L., 123–24, 142, 158

Streett, St. Clair, Major General, 80

Strontium-90, 139

Suitcase bomb, 416

Superbomb/Super. See Hydrogen bomb

Supersafe bomb, 331

Svitenko, Leonard, Captain, 322

Sweeney, Charles W., Major, 53

Symington, Stuart, 150

Szilárd, Leó, 37, 39, 44–45

Tactical Air Command (TAC), xxii

Tactical weapons

dangers/accidents, 287

increased production of, 303–4

LeMay as opponent of, 130–32

proponents of, 130, 200, 257, 268, 284, 287, 354

Soviet, in Cuba, 295

Soviet arsenal (2013), 479

Take Charge and Move Out (TACAMO), xxii, 273

Tallman, Joseph

injury, treatment of, 403

Titan II explosion, 401

TATB explosive, xxii, 332

Tatom, Sam, 429

Taylor, Maxwell D., General

on attacking Soviets, 277

and Cuban missile crisis, 294

on flexible response, 200, 203, 250

position of, xvii

on tactical weapons, 268

Telegraphic Agency of the Soviet Union (TASS), xxii, 270, 289

Teller, Edward

A-bomb development, 36, 40

hydrogen bomb development, 123, 127–29

and Polaris system, 314

Terrorists

Bush and 9/11 chaos, 476

and nuclear weapons, 373

Pakistan vulnerability to, 480

Test bans. See Arms control

Texas towers, 151

Thatcher, Margaret, 453

Thermal batteries, 160

Thermonuclear fusion, hydrogen bomb, 122–23, 127–29

Third World War: August 1985 (Hackett), 14–15

Thomas, Frank, 387

Thomas, Robert J., Sergeant, and Titan II (533-7) accident, 339, 341–46

Thor missiles, 221, 308–9

Threat Assessment Conference, 366–68

Three Mile Island, 367, 460

Threshold Test Ban Treaty, 358

Thule monitor, 267–68, 320–21, 324–25

Thunderball (film), 317

Tinian airfield, 50, 52, 97

Tipsies

black hat operation alert, 230–31

function of, 20

Titan I, 182

propellants of, xx, 222

Titanic Effect, 313

Titan II, 223–27

accuracy, compared to older missiles, 227

Air Force on safety of, 385–86

Arkansas accidents. See Titan II Launch Complex 374-4 accident; Titan II Launch Complex 374-7 accident

community warning siren amendment, 347, 385–86

dangers, informants on, 337–38, 347

decommissioning attempts, 266, 346, 351–52, 444

design features, 223–24

destruction capabilities, 223, 226

firing protocol, 11

flight, pattern/mechanics of, 225–26

guidance system, 224–26

Kansas accident. See Titan II Launch Complex 533-7 accident

Titan II (cont.)

launch procedure, 27–28

launch stages/propellant mixing, 4, 223, 225

manufacturer of, 218

as potential disaster, 337–38, 347–48, 351, 376, 385–86, 430, 436

propellants, dangers of, 4–5

recycled missiles, 32–33

safety valve lock, 28

size of, 3

targets of, 11

time to reach target, 28, 226

two-man launch policy, 28

warhead. See W-53 warhead

Titan II Launch Complex 374-4 accident

flash fire (1965), 23–26, 227

as ghost site, 22

recycled missile from, 32–33

Titan II Launch Complex 374-5, 12, 18

Titan II Launch Complex 374-7

abandonment of, 484

combat crew, xv, 8–9

daily shift verification (DSV), 29, 30–31

entrance security, 20–21

explosives/flammables in, 6–7

layout of, 6, 22, 26, 29

missile position/mounting, 6, 65

tunnel leading to missile, 21–22

Titan II Launch Complex 374-7 accident. See also individual persons related to incident

Air Force account of, 430, 435–37

Air Force withholds information about, 63–64, 112–13, 236, 418–19, 424, 429–32, 436

blast door breach, 59, 67, 116, 214

dropped socket/fuel leak, 7, 56, 60, 64–65, 102, 109, 437

escape hatch, 68–70, 234, 239

fire in silo question, 57–58, 65, 102–3, 109

fuel vapor/cloud, 56–58, 64–65

fuel vapor/cloud in air outside, 70, 101, 106, 108

media coverage, 418–20, 430–32

as normal accident, 463–64

oxidizer tank, low pressure problem, 5–6, 28, 32

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

personnel, aftermath for, 437–40

as recycled missile, 32–33

tanks’ pressure level changes, dangers of, 65–68, 102, 105–6, 116–17, 217

Titan II explosion, 392–94

vapor-detection system, 33–34, 57–59

warning lights confusion, 34, 56–58, 64, 66, 208

water tank malfunction, 31, 66

work platforms malfunction, 29–30, 31

Titan II Launch Complex 374-7 accident response. See also individual persons related to incident

casualties of, 430–31, 436–37

communication problems, 210, 216–17, 218, 240–41, 390, 402

decontamination, 390, 427–28

equipment for, 106–7, 211, 216, 241–42, 420

evacuation, 68–70, 108, 214–16

evacuation of local civilians, 112, 229, 404–5, 419

flight from explosion, 392–401

fuel vapor hazard reading, 391–92

initial actions, illegality of, 109–10, 115–17

injured, rescue of, 401, 405, 408–14

injured, treatment of, 413–14, 421

injured crew, rescue of, 409–14

Martin Marietta’s plan, 235–36, 237

medical response inadequacy, 402–3, 413–14, 437

officers, lack of experience for, 107, 210–11, 213, 239

power to complex, leaving on, 217–18, 239

power to missile, shutting down, 66, 67, 214

PTS crew abandoned at site, 397, 402

PTS team enters site, 240–42, 388–92

response plan, approvals needed, 118, 212, 217, 227, 233–34

response plan, opposition to, 235–36, 239–40

response plan, steps in, 234, 238–39

toxic corridor mapping, 59

ventilation fan, order to turn on, 392, 436–37

warhead, search for, 420, 423–24

warhead removal, 432

weapons deactivation team, 422–23, 425–27

Titan II Launch Complex 533-7 accident, 338–46

casualties of, 346