Document Sheds New Light On The Time The U.S. Almost Nuked Itself

Overview

• Source: NPR
• Date Published: September 20, 2013
• Key Topic: A newly declassified document reveals details about a 1961 incident where the U.S. nearly detonated a nuclear bomb in North Carolina.

Key Incident: The 1961 North Carolina Nuclear Accident

• Assessment by Parker F. Jones: A simple low-voltage switch prevented a major catastrophe.
  • Jones was the supervisor of the nuclear weapons safety department at Sandia National Laboratories.
• Historical Context:
  • During the Cold War, B-52 bombers were airborne as a precaution against the Soviet Union.
  • One B-52 with two Mark 39 hydrogen bombs experienced an oil leak and disintegrated, dropping the bombs.
• Document Highlights:
  • The U.S. government has denied safety flaws put American lives at risk.
  • The incident was close to a nuclear disaster, with the bomb passing through six of seven steps needed for detonation.
  • Former Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara acknowledged the risk in 1983.

Details from Related Works

• Eric Schlosser's Book: Command and Control: Nuclear Weapons, the Damascus Accident and the Illusion of Safety
  • Discusses numerous nuclear mishaps from 1950 to 1967.
  • Includes various accidents like a B-61 bomb drop at Carswell Air Force Base and a Mark 6 bomb in Mars Bluff, SC.

Conclusion

• The document reveals the close call with nuclear disaster in the U.S. and highlights ongoing safety concerns with nuclear arsenals.
• Despite good handling of atomic weapons, historical mishaps indicate a reliance on both skill and luck.