Nuclear weapon Quote by Garrett M. Graff
““Ever since the Truman administration, official U.S. war plans assumed that the Soviets would begin a nuclear exchange by exploding smuggled nuclear weapons inside their Washington, D.C., embassy and their U.N. mission in New York—thus ensuring that the opening salvo came without any warning whatsoever. In the early 1950s, the FBI had searched frantically for a nuclear weapon that a Brazilian informant told them had already been smuggled into one of the Soviet-bloc U.N. consulates in New York. They never found it—but that didn’t mean it didn’t exist. Several””
About This Quote
Source Book: The Pentagon's Brain by Garrett M. Graff, 2015
Cold war intelligence assumed Soviet sabotage via hidden nuclear devices, shaping U.S. war planning.
In simple terms: U.S. feared secret Soviet bombs, influencing war strategy.
Key Takeaway
Recognize how fear can drive policy.
Themes
cold war
intelligence
policy
fear
nuclear weapons
Mood
anxious
strategic
Type
historical
political
When to use this quote
- military planning
- diplomacy
- counterintelligence
- crisis management
Key Concepts
deterrence
risk assessment
strategic planning
Questions to Reflect On
- What evidence justifies such extreme planning?
- How do imagined threats shape real policies?
A Different Perspective
Assumes Soviet intent without concrete evidence.
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