The secret cold war nuke launch code/password has been revealed: um... guys? - GoFuckYourself.com

bhutocracy · 06-17-2004, 07:20 PM

In the darkest days of the Cold War, as the world trembled on the brink of nuclear conflict, one thing above all stood in the way of catastrophe: the secret eight-digit access number required to launch the US's arsenal of intercontinental ballistic missiles.

Without that vital obstacle, anybody - a crazed military commander, or a terrorist - might have been able to spark a conflict that would have killed millions.

For the sake of our sanity, then, perhaps it is best that we have had to wait until now to discover that for many years, according to an expert closely involved in the process, the eight digits in question were 00000000.

"The codes were the only real mechanical or technical impediment to the crews launching missiles," said Bruce Blair, who worked as a launch officer in a nuclear missile silo in Montana. "And they were all set to zero. The safeguard was non-functional."

Mr Blair, now president of the Centre for Defence Information, a Washington think tank, said he recently revealed the information to Robert McNamara, secretary of defence during the Kennedy and Johnson administrations. He said Mr McNamara responded he was shocked and outraged, and asked: "Who the hell authorised that?"

The codes were set to zero because they were so deeply disliked by the military, Mr Blair argues in a document from the centre. He says Mr McNamara "basically forced" the system on senior commanders, who were far more concerned with eliminating anything that might slow down their otherwise lightning-fast response to a Soviet attack.

Mr Blair and one other colleague were in a position to fire up to 50 Minuteman missiles at the Soviet Union.

Steven Bellovin, a researcher for AT&T who has studied launch codes, said he was puzzled by Mr Blair's revelations, and suggested he was confusing two sets of codes, one to detonate the nuclear bomb and one to launch the missile containing the bomb.

the guardian

darnit · 06-17-2004, 07:21 PM

Holy shit.... thats really fucking scary. Where did you find that article?

bhutocracy · 06-17-2004, 07:27 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by darnit
Holy shit.... thats really fucking scary. Where did you find that article?

lol tell me about it.. i was almost expecting it to be :password or something, because you knew it had to be bad to be newsworthy
found it at...
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/...245047261.html

raster · 06-17-2004, 07:54 PM

brutal

BlueDesignStudios · 06-17-2004, 07:58 PM

i could have guessed that

jukeboxfrank · 06-17-2004, 08:06 PM

that story is bull shit you people are so gullible geee
get a brain please

06-17-2004, 07:20 PM	#1
bhutocracy Not making A Comeback Industry Role: Join Date: Dec 2001 Posts: 10,218	The secret cold war nuke launch code/password has been revealed: um... guys? In the darkest days of the Cold War, as the world trembled on the brink of nuclear conflict, one thing above all stood in the way of catastrophe: the secret eight-digit access number required to launch the US's arsenal of intercontinental ballistic missiles. Without that vital obstacle, anybody - a crazed military commander, or a terrorist - might have been able to spark a conflict that would have killed millions. For the sake of our sanity, then, perhaps it is best that we have had to wait until now to discover that for many years, according to an expert closely involved in the process, the eight digits in question were 00000000. "The codes were the only real mechanical or technical impediment to the crews launching missiles," said Bruce Blair, who worked as a launch officer in a nuclear missile silo in Montana. "And they were all set to zero. The safeguard was non-functional." Mr Blair, now president of the Centre for Defence Information, a Washington think tank, said he recently revealed the information to Robert McNamara, secretary of defence during the Kennedy and Johnson administrations. He said Mr McNamara responded he was shocked and outraged, and asked: "Who the hell authorised that?" The codes were set to zero because they were so deeply disliked by the military, Mr Blair argues in a document from the centre. He says Mr McNamara "basically forced" the system on senior commanders, who were far more concerned with eliminating anything that might slow down their otherwise lightning-fast response to a Soviet attack. Mr Blair and one other colleague were in a position to fire up to 50 Minuteman missiles at the Soviet Union. Steven Bellovin, a researcher for AT&T who has studied launch codes, said he was puzzled by Mr Blair's revelations, and suggested he was confusing two sets of codes, one to detonate the nuclear bomb and one to launch the missile containing the bomb. the guardian Last edited by bhutocracy; 06-17-2004 at 07:21 PM..

06-17-2004, 07:58 PM	#5
BlueDesignStudios Confirmed User Industry Role: Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Australia Posts: 9,492	i could have guessed that __________________ Blue Design Studios - Adult Design Specialists! Email me for a free quote: [email protected]

06-17-2004, 07:21 PM	#2
darnit Confirmed User Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Teh Interweb Posts: 2,439	Holy shit.... thats really fucking scary. Where did you find that article?

06-17-2004, 07:54 PM	#4
raster Confirmed User Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 784	brutal

06-17-2004, 08:06 PM	#6
jukeboxfrank Confirmed User Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: www.jenniferworthington.com Posts: 1,207	that story is bull shit you people are so gullible geee get a brain please