““There were unofficial discussions at the time about what would have happened if, heaven forbid, that nuclear warhead had exploded on American soil. There were two possible dangers: one was that the national defense system would fly into a panic and order a full-scale nuclear strike without confirming which country the bomber had come from. In the other scenario, it’s confirmed that one of our own bombers dropped it, but even so someone in the bomber’s chain of command—most likely someone secretly harboring militant feelings—gives the order for a nuclear attack in order to paper over his team’s responsibility. Ever since that time, the human element has been the problem in our strategic nuclear framework.””
