this curious life

Twelve terrifying tales from the nuclear crypt...............

'The reality is that there have been so many accidents, false alarms, and other mishaps involving nuclear weapons that you haven't heard about -- and every month contains at least one seriously scary incident.

The Department of Defense has released narrative summaries for 32 accidents involving nuclear weapons between 1950 and 1980, many of which involve aircraft bearing bombs.

False alarms? Please. The Department of Defense admitted 1,152 "moderately serious" false alarms between 1977 and 1984 -- roughly three a week. (I love the phrase "moderately serious." I wonder how many "seriously serious" false alarms they had?)

I kind of get the feeling that if NORAD went more than a week without a serious false alarm, they would start to wonder if the computers were ok.'

'Are human beings, fallible as we are, just too imperfect to rely on something as destructive as nuclear weapons to keep the peace?'

'Are we to be comforted by the fact that, for all the hair-raising moments, we've somehow made it through intact? Or should we be frightened by how little stood between us and catastrophe?'