Thursday, July 31, 2014

Command and Control

If you wonder how we survived The Cold War and nuclear proliferation, after reading Command and Control: Nuclear Weapons, the Damascus Accident, and the Illusion of Safety, I believe the correct answer would be "miraculous luck."

This book is an absolutely brilliant narrative documenting our absolutely spectacular series of blunders and near-disasters in managing and controlling our nuclear stockpile.

I'm also absolutely sure in saying that even though we were tremendously inept--and miraculously fortunate--the Russians were much, much worse. After reading this book, it is absolutely beyond comprehension how a nuclear device has never accidentally detonated.

The narrative is tremendously gripping, and this is a fine piece of writer's work. It's also worthwhile as a historical document. In short, if you have any interest in the nuclear weapons era, The Cold War, or even history in general, this is a terrific read.

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