Command and Control (110 page)

MANIAC II, 152

Mark, Hans S., Dr.

on Titan II accident, 430

Titan problems, awareness of, 338

Mark 3 bomb, 94–98

Mark 4 bomb, 99–100

falls from aircraft, 167–68

Mark 6 bomb, falls from aircraft, 185–88

Mark 7 bomb, 260–62

Mark 17 bomb, 161

Mark 28 bomb

accident threat from, 196–99, 262, 334, 372, 374–77, 384, 440, 464

loss/recovery from accidents, 316–18, 321–23

retrofits, delay of, 440, 449–50, 453, 464

size of, 161

Mark 32 bomb, 310–11

Mark 36 bomb, 184–85

Mark 39 bomb, 246, 248–49, 292, 307

Mark 43 bomb, 311

Mark 53 bomb, 311, 416

Mark 54 Special Atomic Demolition Munition (SADM), 416

Marshall Plan, 81

Martin Company, 182

Martin Marietta

lawsuits against, 386, 439–40

Titan II manufacture by, 218

Titan II response plan, opposition to, 235–36

Marx, Richard, Captain, 322

Matthews, Keith E., First Lieutenant, and Titan II (533-7) accident, 339–40, 342–44

Mattocks, Adam C., First Lieutenant, 245

Maultsby, Charles, Major, 462–63

Maydew, Randall C., 318–19

May-Johnson bill, 77–78

Mazzaro, Michael, Captain

enters Titan II accident site, 110, 115–18

evacuates Titan II site, 67–70, 108

illness/anxiety, 228

Titan II accident response by, 34, 56–60, 214

Titan II assignment, xv, 8, 18–20

Titan II explosion, 395–96, 400

Media, and Titan II accident, 418–20, 430–32

Melgard, Robert B., Lieutenant Colonel, 462

Mercer, Benny, 429

Messinger, Larry G., Major, 315

Meyer, Donald, 349

Meyer, Nicholas, 449

Mike (hydrogen bomb), 129, 131, 134, 137, 139

Miklaszewski, Jim, 431

Military defense of U.S.
See
U.S. military defenses;
specific armed forces

Military Airlift Command, 107

Military-industrial complex, 199

Mills, Wilbur D., 19

Mineral oil, explosion prevention with, 107

Mine Safety Appliance (MSA) Company, vapor-detection system, xxi, 33, 57, 59

Minimum deterrence, 362–63, 483–84

Minuteman missiles

and accident risk, 299–301, 311–12, 371, 473–75

development of, 182, 223

mass production of, 270–71

multiple warheads, adding to, 353

propellants of, 210, 223, 266

Missile Alarm Response Team (MART), 60

function of, xx, 229, 230

at Titan II accident site, 229

Missile Defense Alarm System, 303

Missile gap, 176, 249–50, 269–71, 284

Missile launch complexes

concurrency practice, 219–20

locations of, 219–20

underground, first, 222

Missile Potential Hazard Net

malfunction of, 210

Titan II accident communication, 59–60, 209–10, 212–13, 218

Missile Potential Hazard Team, and Titan II accident, 59, 66–67, 102–3, 210, 211, 214, 235–36

Missiles.
See also
Antiaircraft missiles; Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM); Intermediate-range missiles; Short-Range Attack Missiles (SRAMs);
individual weapons

Atlas, 222

cruise, 376, 441

design flaws, difficulty detecting, 220

Jupiter, 225

launch complexes for.
See
Missile launch complexes

with multiple warheads, 352–53, 365

Peacemaker, 441, 444

Pershing II, 441–42, 447–51

Redstone, 221, 225

Snark as first, 220–21

Titan I, 182

Titan II, 223–27

trajectory, physics of, 223

V-2, 182, 225

Mobile Fire Teams (MFTs)

role of, xxi

at Titan II accident site, 229

Mock, John C., Technical Sergeant, 345

Moe, Gordon, 454–55

Mondale, Walter, 115

informed about Titan II accident, 386

Titan II accident briefing, 424, 429

Monsanto Chemical Company, 100

Montanus, Stephen, Lieutenant, 315–16

Moral Majority, 14

Morgenstern, Oskar, 170–71

Morris, James L., Colonel

as maintenance chief, xvi

plan to save missile, 118, 217

Titan II accident site, arrival at, 108–10

Titan II explosion, 397–400, 402

and Titan II response plan, 102–3, 109–10, 211, 238–39

waiting for orders, 227–28, 237

Moser, John T., Colonel

biographical information, 209, 210, 351

evacuation order from, 214–15

on number of Titan II accidents, 385

position of, xvi, 102, 208

Titan II accident site, arrival at, 208–10

Titan II, lack of experience with, 210–11, 239

Titan II response plan presented by, 234, 238–40

Moses, Franklin, Sargeant, 420

Moss, Robert, 14

Mowles, Donald G., 230–31

Moynihan, Daniel Patrick, 466

Mueller, Donald P., Captain

position of, xvi, 228

at Titan II accident site, 228, 402, 403, 408

Multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles (MIRVs), xxi, 352

Murrow, Edward R., 74, 156

Mutually assured destruction (MAD), xx, 302, 352

MX missiles, 364–65, 441

Nagasaki, atomic bombing of, 53–55

Namu island, 149

National Deep Underground Command Center, 274

National Emergency Airborne Command Post, 273–74, 355–56, 366

National Emergency Airborne Command Post Afloat, 273–74

National Military Command Center, 273

National security information, hiding.
See
Secrecy

National Strategic Response Plans, 457

National Strategic Target List, 204

Nation-killing concept, 83

Naval Explosive Ordnance Disposal School, 415

Nazi Germany, 44–45, 77

rocket scientists, U.S. recruitment, 182

Nedelin, Mitrofan Ivanovich, Marshal, 269–70

Neutrons, nuclear reaction, 39, 40, 128

Newton, Isaac, 223

Nichols, Kenneth D., General, 125–26, 158

Nike antiaircraft missiles, 151, 162, 349

9/11 Commission Report,
476

Nitrogen tetroxide

boiling point, 25

dangers to humans, 4–5, 436

Nitze, Paul H., 284–85

Nixon, Richard M.

mental instability of, 359–60

nuclear attack, diplomatic use of, 358–59

secretary of state actions.
See
Kissinger, Henry A.

No-cities strategy, 287–88, 302

Normal Accidents
(Perrow), 460–61, 464

Normal accident theory, 461–63

Norstad, Lauris, General, 257–58, 279, 285

North American Air Defense Command (NORAD), xxi, 253–54

false warning of, 365–68

goal of, 152

North Atlantic Treaty, 86

North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)

bunker/shelter of, 156

and Cold War, 130

command-and-control problems of, 255–56

goal of, xxi

nuclear weapons site dangers, 221–22, 257–65, 279, 290, 293–96, 303, 373, 462

nuclear weapons, Eisenhower delivery to, 183–84, 258, 260

storage sites (2013), 476

North Korea, nuclear weapons of (2013), 477–78

Notch, The (command post), 273

Nuclear Emergency Search Team (NEST), 425

Nuclear fusion, and H-bomb, xx

Nuclear power plant accidents, 113, 452, 460

Nuclear reaction

fission, 38–40, 122

thermonuclear fusion, 122–23

Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)

function of, xxi

nuclear accidents, secrecy about, 113

Nuclear weapons. See also Missiles; specific weapons by name

accidents related to.
See
Accidents

on battlefield.
See
Tactical weapons

control and abolition of.
See
Arms control; Disarmament movement

defense contractors, 100, 182, 218

early bombs.
See
Atomic bomb; Los Alamos, New Mexico; Manhattan Project; Sandia Laboratory

hydrogen bomb, 122–29, 133–34

nuclear attack order.
See
Command and control

number worldwide (2013), 476–77

Reliable Replacement Warhead (RRW), 470

safety issues.
See
Accident prevention; Accident risks

sealed-pit weapons, 161–66

of Soviet Union.
See
Soviet Union

storage of.
See
Nuclear weapons storage

U.S. government secrecy.
See
Secrecy

Nuclear Weapons and Foreign Policy (Kissinger), 200

Nuclear Weapons Freeze Campaign, 446

Nuclear weapons storage, 157–60

AEC sites, 88, 100, 125–26, 157

igloos, 159

multiple locations, rationale for, 157–58

NATO sites (2013), 476

nuclear core, separate storage, 157–59, 181

SAC, proximity to, 100, 158–59

Nunn, Sam, 481–82

Obama, Barack

Bin Laden raid, 475–76

on nuclear weapons end, 482

Odom, William E., General, 361–62, 367–68

Ofstie, Ralph A., Rear Admiral, 87

Ogden Air Logistics Center (Utah), Titan II accident communication, 59–60, 209–10

O'Keefe, Bernard J., 52–53, 137–39

Omaha SAC command post

LeMay improvements to, 92–94

Titan II, lack of experience with, 213

Titan II accident communication, 59, 209–10, 218

Titan II response plan approval, 118, 212, 217, 227, 233–34

vice commander of, xvi, 212

One-point safety, 163–64, 172, 197–98, 322–23

One World or None,
74–75

“On the Risk of an Accidental or Unauthorized Nuclear Detonation,” 190–96

Operation Alert (1955), 143–44

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