Sunday, October 11, 2009

Russia's 'Doomsday Machine' Still Ready For Action?


From ABC News:

Soviet Program, 'Perimeter,' Ensured Nuclear Response in Event of U.S. Nuclear Strike.

It's supposed to be the stuff of science fiction: A device that triggers a nuclear holocaust in the event of a U.S. strike against Russia.

But the "Dr. Strangelove"-esque technology isn't just fantasy. The Cold War-era Soviet "doomsday machine" was -- and might still be -- very much a reality.

From interviews with former Soviet arms officials and Defense Department documents, Nicholas Thompson, a senior editor for Wired magazine and author of "The Hawk and The Dove: Paul Nitze, George Kennan, and the History of the Cold War," learned that the system was built 25 years ago to ensure a nuclear retaliation if Russia were attacked by the U.S.

Read more ....

My Comment: I completely agree with former CIA director James Woolsey assessment about the USSR's doomsday device ..... "I hope to God the Soviets were more sensible than that."

But anyone who has had experience with Soviet bureaucracy knows the answer to James Woolsey's comment .... the Soviets were never sensible with their "big" and "secret" programs.

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