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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>
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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