--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The theatrical device represented by the…" description: "\"“The theatrical device represented by the president’s moment-by-moment day-and-night access to the “football,” with its supposedly unique authorization..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b96/daniel-ellsberg-11718_programming_the-theatrical-device-represented-by-the_775738.jpg" --- # The theatrical device represented by the president’s… ![“The theatrical device represented by the president’s moment-by-moment day-and-night access to the “football,” with its supposedly unique authorization codes, has always been exactly that: theater—essentially a hoax. Whatever the public declarations to the contrary, there has to be delegation of…” quote by Daniel Ellsberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b96/daniel-ellsberg-11718_programming_the-theatrical-device-represented-by-the_775738.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b96/daniel-ellsberg-11718_programming_the-theatrical-device-represented-by-the_775738.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b96/daniel-ellsberg-11718_programming_the-theatrical-device-represented-by-the_775738.jpg) > ““The theatrical device represented by the president’s moment-by-moment day-and-night access to the “football,” with its supposedly unique authorization codes, has always been exactly that: theater—essentially a hoax. Whatever the public declarations to the contrary, there has to be delegation of authority and capability to launch retaliatory strikes, not only to officials outside the Oval Office but outside Washington too, or there would be no real basis for nuclear deterrence.”” [Daniel Ellsberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-ellsberg/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The president’s access to nuclear launch codes is portrayed as theatrical, but real deterrence depends on delegated authority beyond the Oval Office. **In simple terms:** President’s role is symbolic; actual power lies elsewhere. Key Takeaway Recognize the importance of distributed authority in security. Themes nuclear deterrence political theater authority delegation Mood cautious critical Type analytical political When to use this quote - policy analysis - government transparency - defense planning Key Concepts strategic stability civilian oversight military command Questions to Reflect On - How does decentralizing launch authority affect deterrence? - What are the risks of treating nuclear control as theater? A Different Perspective The metaphor may oversimplify complex command structures. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Essentially Hoax](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/essentially-hoax-2734032/) [Hoax](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hoax/) [Hoax Public](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hoax-public-5394182/) [Nuclear deterrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nuclear-deterrence/) [Programming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/programming/) [Theater Essentially](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theater-essentially-5987388/) ## Related quotes > [...a vocal minority of scientists so mistrusts the models and the complex fragmentary data, that some claim that global warming is a hoax. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanne-simpson/a-vocal-minority-of-scientists-so-mistrusts-the-models-and-the/) [Joanne Simpson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanne-simpson/) > [How do we transform loss? ... Time's healing balm is essentially a hoax.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/august-wilson/how-do-we-transform-loss-time-s-healing-balm-is-essentially-a-hoax/) [August Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/august-wilson/) > [The nature of nuclear weapons makes it impossible to either ban the bomb or wipe out an enemy's arsenal. Nuclear deterrence was unavoidable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shellenberger/the-nature-of-nuclear-weapons-makes-it-impossible-to-either-ban-the/) [Michael Shellenberger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shellenberger/) > [So, we need to delegitimize the nuclear weapon, and by de-legitimizing... meaning trying to develop a different system of security that does not depend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohamed-elbaradei/so-we-need-to-delegitimize-the-nuclear-weapon-and-by-de-legitimizing/) [Mohamed ElBaradei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohamed-elbaradei/) > [“Nuclear deterrence will remain a vital aspect of security. or Nuclear deterrence will have a smaller role in future security. Sources are split in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-j-tangredi/nuclear-deterrence-will-remain-a-vital-aspect-of-security-or-nuclear/) [Sam J. 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We will not turn a blind eye to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lange/our-nuclear-free-status-means-that-we-decline-to-acquiesce-in-the/) [David Lange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lange/) > [Nuclear deterrence doesn't work outside of the Russian - U.S. context; Saddam Hussein showed that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-horner/nuclear-deterrence-doesn-t-work-outside-of-the-russian-u-s-context/) [Charles Horner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-horner/) > [New Zealand's nuclear free movement is a broad-based and popular movement. Our nuclear free status is a challenge to much that is accepted as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lange/new-zealand-s-nuclear-free-movement-is-a-broad-based-and-popular/) [David Lange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lange/) > [President Obama is the greatest hoax ever perpetrated on the American people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clint-eastwood/president-obama-is-the-greatest-hoax-ever-perpetrated-on-the-american/) [Clint Eastwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clint-eastwood/) > [“No one can know, of course, accurate population figures from an era before there was a census, but many officials on the ground at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-hochschild/no-one-can-know-of-course-accurate-population-figures-from-an-era/) [Adam Hochschild](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-hochschild/) ## More by Daniel Ellsberg > [If monarchy is corrupting - and it is - wait till you see what overt empire does to us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-ellsberg/if-monarchy-is-corrupting-and-it-is-wait-till-you-see-what-overt/) [Daniel Ellsberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-ellsberg/) > [There are some things that should not be leaked without authorization.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-ellsberg/there-are-some-things-that-should-not-be-leaked-without-authorization/) [Daniel Ellsberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-ellsberg/) > [“The cliché that “everything leaks; it all comes out in the New York Times eventually” is emphatically not true, above all for sensitive compartmented…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-ellsberg/the-clich-that-everything-leaks-it-all-comes-out-in-the-new-york/) [Daniel Ellsberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-ellsberg/) > [“The fact is that the estimate of fatalities, in terms of what was calculable at that time—even before the discovery of nuclear winter—was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-ellsberg/the-fact-is-that-the-estimate-of-fatalities-in-terms-of-what-was/) [Daniel Ellsberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-ellsberg/) > [It is a tribute to the American people that our leaders perceived that they had to lie to us, it is not a tribute…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-ellsberg/it-is-a-tribute-to-the-american-people-that-our-leaders-perceived/) [Daniel Ellsberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-ellsberg/) > [“Khrushchev told Norman Cousins, a few months after the crisis, his reaction at the time: When I asked the military advisors if they could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-ellsberg/khrushchev-told-norman-cousins-a-few-months-after-the-crisis-his/) [Daniel Ellsberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-ellsberg/) > [I agree that there are things that should be kept secret.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-ellsberg/i-agree-that-there-are-things-that-should-be-kept-secret/) [Daniel Ellsberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-ellsberg/) > [If there's another 9/11 or a major war in the Middle-East involving a U.S. attack on Iran, I have no doubt that there will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-ellsberg/if-there-s-another-9-11-or-a-major-war-in-the-middle-east-involving-a/) [Daniel Ellsberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-ellsberg/) > [“Dwight Eisenhower had secretly endorsed the blueprints of this multi-genocide machine. He had furthermore demanded, largely for budgetary reasons, that there be no other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-ellsberg/dwight-eisenhower-had-secretly-endorsed-the-blueprints-of-this-multi/) [Daniel Ellsberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-ellsberg/) > [My feelings of revulsion and foreboding about nuclear weapons had not changed an iota since 1945, and they have never left me. Since I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-ellsberg/my-feelings-of-revulsion-and-foreboding-about-nuclear-weapons-had-not/) [Daniel Ellsberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-ellsberg/) > [We need the courage to face the truth about what we are doing in the world and act responsibly to change it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-ellsberg/we-need-the-courage-to-face-the-truth-about-what-we-are-doing-in-the/) [Daniel Ellsberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-ellsberg/) > [It is urgent to prevent new U.S. aggression. The time is now for the world to say 'no' to U.S. threats of air attack…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-ellsberg/it-is-urgent-to-prevent-new-u-s-aggression-the-time-is-now-for-the/) [Daniel Ellsberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-ellsberg/) > [“Whether rightly or wrongly, we are the only country in the world that believes it won a war by bombing—specifically by bombing cities with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-ellsberg/whether-rightly-or-wrongly-we-are-the-only-country-in-the-world-that/) [Daniel Ellsberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-ellsberg/) > [“Throughout the Cold War such priorities reflected a command environment in which —it was regarded as overwhelmingly more important to assure a Go response…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-ellsberg/throughout-the-cold-war-such-priorities-reflected-a-command/) [Daniel Ellsberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-ellsberg/) > [There should be at least one leak like the Pentagon Papers every year.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-ellsberg/there-should-be-at-least-one-leak-like-the-pentagon-papers-every-year/) [Daniel Ellsberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-ellsberg/) [Explore all 58 Daniel Ellsberg quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-ellsberg/) ## More Hoax quotes > [“No one can know, of course, accurate population figures from an era before there was a census, but many officials on the ground at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-hochschild/no-one-can-know-of-course-accurate-population-figures-from-an-era/) [Adam Hochschild](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-hochschild/) > [President Obama is the greatest hoax ever perpetrated on the American people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clint-eastwood/president-obama-is-the-greatest-hoax-ever-perpetrated-on-the-american/) [Clint Eastwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clint-eastwood/) > [In a secular age, an authentic miracle must purport to be a hoax, in order to gain credit in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-carter/in-a-secular-age-an-authentic-miracle-must-purport-to-be-a-hoax-in/) [Angela Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-carter/) > [The 'Fake News Alert' Chrome extension, created by 'New York Magazine' journalist Brian Feldman, identifies hoax news articles. However, cutting out fake news source…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fabrizio-moreira/the-fake-news-alert-chrome-extension-created-by-new-york-magazine/) [Fabrizio Moreira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fabrizio-moreira/) > [“Those two spots are among the darkest of our whole civilization--pardon me, our whole culture (an important distinction, I've heard)--which might sound like a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-ellison/those-two-spots-are-among-the-darkest-of-our-whole-civilization/) [Ralph Ellison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-ellison/) > [“I’m here Corinne. I’m here waiting for you to realize that helping you, listening to you, sitting in silence with you, holding you while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lila-felix/i-m-here-corinne-i-m-here-waiting-for-you-to-realize-that-helping-you/) [Lila Felix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lila-felix/) > [ “I just wish this social institution \[religion\] wasn't based on what appears to me to be a monumental hoax built on an accumulation of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-rooney/i-just-wish-this-social-institution-religion-wasn-t-based-on-what/) [Andy Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-rooney/) > [I keep hearing from readers who say 'Hoax' helps them understand their own family a little bit better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-stelter/i-keep-hearing-from-readers-who-say-hoax-helps-them-understand-their/) [Brian Stelter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-stelter/) > [“Science Class Would you invent some irrational explanation for we lost souls that the glaciers aren’t really melting at all, that they are and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diogenes-of-mayberry/science-class-would-you-invent-some-irrational-explanation-for-we/) [Diogenes of Mayberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diogenes-of-mayberry/) > [As is so often the case with pieces that appear in the 'Onion,' I honestly could not decide whether this was a clever hoax…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/as-is-so-often-the-case-with-pieces-that-appear-in-the-onion-i/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [“Trying to teach creativity is the major hoax of our time along with the Iraq war and plastic surgery.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-harrison/trying-to-teach-creativity-is-the-major-hoax-of-our-time-along-with/) [Jim Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-harrison/) > [“Oh, I don't know. 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