Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: Notesfiles; site uokvax.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!hou3c!hocda!houxm!ihnp4!inuxc!pur-ee!uiucdcs!uokvax!lmaher From: lmaher@uokvax.UUCP Newsgroups: net.politics Subject: Re: Survival in the Nuclear Winter - (nf) Message-ID: <5000091@uokvax.UUCP> Date: Tue, 12-Jun-84 20:54:00 EDT Article-I.D.: uokvax.5000091 Posted: Tue Jun 12 20:54:00 1984 Date-Received: Fri, 15-Jun-84 00:19:26 EDT References: <1699@iddic.UUCP> Lines: 20 Nf-ID: #R:iddic:-169900:uokvax:5000091:000:940 Nf-From: uokvax!lmaher Jun 12 19:54:00 1984 #R:iddic:-169900:uokvax:5000091:000:940 uokvax!lmaher Jun 12 19:54:00 1984 I just finished a class on National Defense/Security so I'd be interested in a discussion on the Nuclear Winter and similar bugaboos. We spent weeks going over the score or so ways you can get killed in a nuclear war. However, _The Threat_, by Andrew Cockburn, a truly excellent book (now available in paperback - *well* worth the $5), suggests that the reliability for both American and Soviet missiles may be well below 15%. That is, 85% of the missiles won't even leave their silos. As far as I know, the U.S. has never had a successful test launch from an operational silo. They remove the missile, transport it to a test silo; take a couple of weeks going over it with a fine tooth comb, then fire it. Usually it goes off; often it even hits its target in the Pacific. Like the motto says, "Peace is our Profession. War is just a hobby." :-) Carl (formerly uok!crigney) ..!ctvax!uokvax!lmaher ..!duke!uok!uokvax!lmaher