Stephen Schwartz
@atomicanalyst.bsky.social
Editor/Co-author, “Atomic Audit: The Costs and Consequences of US Nuclear Weapons Since 1940” • Nonresident Senior Fellow, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists • Nuclear weapons expert (history, policy, costs, accidents) and tracker of the nuclear “Football.”
"Brazil" was ahead of its time.
November 10, 2025 at 8:08 PM
"Brazil" was ahead of its time.
From this 1999 book, per standard operating procedure, "The fuzes were to be set to detonate the bomb at 1200 m above the water. After checking the river for shipping both visually and with radar, and on consultation with the aircraft commander and pilot, Major [Newton] Brown released the bomb ...."
November 10, 2025 at 7:39 PM
From this 1999 book, per standard operating procedure, "The fuzes were to be set to detonate the bomb at 1200 m above the water. After checking the river for shipping both visually and with radar, and on consultation with the aircraft commander and pilot, Major [Newton] Brown released the bomb ...."
See also his 2018 article about the need to determine if there is potentially serious radioactive contamination at Goose Bay resulting from plutonium pit maintenance activities conducted at the base during 1950-54:
The Canadian Forces may be ignoring a nuclear waste problem they may have in Goose Bay.
News blog about current military history, interesting events, and movements of military assets globally. Army, Navy, Air Force; not the party line.
www.vesselofinterest.com
November 10, 2025 at 3:41 PM
See also his 2018 article about the need to determine if there is potentially serious radioactive contamination at Goose Bay resulting from plutonium pit maintenance activities conducted at the base during 1950-54:
For more about US nuclear weapons deployed in Canada at Goose Bay during the Cold War, see this detailed, illustrated 2016 review by @steffanwatkins.bsky.social of the many buildings at the base associated with the US nuclear weapons mission:
Goose Air Base | (Nuclear) Weapons Storage Area
Building 1092 Earth Covered Magazine (representative of 1091-1095) Photo: Howard Haby (2010.04.05) I have the impression th...
campingcdn.blogspot.com
November 10, 2025 at 3:41 PM
For more about US nuclear weapons deployed in Canada at Goose Bay during the Cold War, see this detailed, illustrated 2016 review by @steffanwatkins.bsky.social of the many buildings at the base associated with the US nuclear weapons mission:
And even then—31 years later—the Department of Defense was exceedingly vague about exactly what had happened, or where this Broken Arrow had occurred.
November 10, 2025 at 3:41 PM
And even then—31 years later—the Department of Defense was exceedingly vague about exactly what had happened, or where this Broken Arrow had occurred.
It exploded at ~2,500 ft., scattering ~100 lbs. of uranium-238. Strategic Air Command covered up the incident (partly because nuclear weapons at Goose Bay were a secret), claiming the blast was a 500-lb. conventional practice bomb. The DoD did not officially confirm it was an atomic bomb until 1981.
November 10, 2025 at 3:41 PM
It exploded at ~2,500 ft., scattering ~100 lbs. of uranium-238. Strategic Air Command covered up the incident (partly because nuclear weapons at Goose Bay were a secret), claiming the blast was a 500-lb. conventional practice bomb. The DoD did not officially confirm it was an atomic bomb until 1981.
Got you covered:
Tonight in 1961, the experimental SL-1 reactor at the National Reactor Testing Station near Idaho Falls, Idaho, accidentally went prompt critical and exploded during a routine reactor restart maintenance procedure, killing operators John Byrnes (22), Richard Legg (26), and Richard McKinley (27).
America’s fatal nuclear accident you’ve never heard of
Around 9:10 p.m. on January 3, 1961, first responders rushed to the site of the Stationary Low-Power Nuclear Reactor Number One (or SL-1)…
medium.com
November 10, 2025 at 5:17 AM
Got you covered:
Poor has-bean.
November 9, 2025 at 10:05 PM
Poor has-bean.
As long as you don't wind up under the plane, you should be good.
November 9, 2025 at 9:19 PM
As long as you don't wind up under the plane, you should be good.
On November 23, National Security Advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski sent the memo back to Brown, telling him to look at President Carter’s handwritten admonishment on the first page (declassified only lsat year):
“Harold, This was a _serious_ mistake and should have been reported to me _immediately_. J.”
“Harold, This was a _serious_ mistake and should have been reported to me _immediately_. J.”
Historical Documents - Office of the Historian
history.state.gov 3.0 shell
history.state.gov
November 9, 2025 at 3:50 PM
On November 23, National Security Advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski sent the memo back to Brown, telling him to look at President Carter’s handwritten admonishment on the first page (declassified only lsat year):
“Harold, This was a _serious_ mistake and should have been reported to me _immediately_. J.”
“Harold, This was a _serious_ mistake and should have been reported to me _immediately_. J.”
On November 20, Secretary of Defense Harold Brown sent President Carter a Top Secret memo describing the false alarm‘s causes and lessons learned. Brown assessed that the early warning system‘s mechanical, procedural, and human elements “are fundamentally sound.” nsarchive.gwu.edu/document/276...
November 9, 2025 at 3:50 PM
On November 20, Secretary of Defense Harold Brown sent President Carter a Top Secret memo describing the false alarm‘s causes and lessons learned. Brown assessed that the early warning system‘s mechanical, procedural, and human elements “are fundamentally sound.” nsarchive.gwu.edu/document/276...
President Carter was only told about this serious false alarm four days later—and only indirectly—in a memorandum from Secretary of State Cyrus Vance describing Brezhnev's message. Carter replied, “This incident was never reported to me, nor has any analysis of the reason been given to me. Why not?”
November 9, 2025 at 3:50 PM
President Carter was only told about this serious false alarm four days later—and only indirectly—in a memorandum from Secretary of State Cyrus Vance describing Brezhnev's message. Carter replied, “This incident was never reported to me, nor has any analysis of the reason been given to me. Why not?”
Said Brezhnev, “According to reports the incident was reported neither to you nor to the secretary of defense, nor to any other responsible officials. … It turns out that the world can find itself on the brink of a precipice without the knowledge of the president or of other top US leaders.”
November 9, 2025 at 3:50 PM
Said Brezhnev, “According to reports the incident was reported neither to you nor to the secretary of defense, nor to any other responsible officials. … It turns out that the world can find itself on the brink of a precipice without the knowledge of the president or of other top US leaders.”
This greatly concerned Soviet President Leonid Brezhnev, who ordered his ambassador to deliver a private oral message to President Jimmy Carter on November 13 about his “extreme anxiety” over the incident, which was widely reported in the press and may also have been detected by Soviet intelligence.
November 9, 2025 at 3:50 PM
This greatly concerned Soviet President Leonid Brezhnev, who ordered his ambassador to deliver a private oral message to President Jimmy Carter on November 13 about his “extreme anxiety” over the incident, which was widely reported in the press and may also have been detected by Soviet intelligence.
During this false alarm, NORAD activated all air defense interceptors and at least 10 planes took off, as did the president’s “doomsday plane.” Some air traffic controllers were ordered to immediately ground all commercial aircraft.
The president and the secretary of defense were never notified.
The president and the secretary of defense were never notified.
November 9, 2025 at 3:50 PM
During this false alarm, NORAD activated all air defense interceptors and at least 10 planes took off, as did the president’s “doomsday plane.” Some air traffic controllers were ordered to immediately ground all commercial aircraft.
The president and the secretary of defense were never notified.
The president and the secretary of defense were never notified.
“… software simulating a Soviet missile attack [on] NORAD’s … computers ‘was inexplicably transferred into the regular warning display’ …. Indeed, NORAD’s Commander-in-Chief later acknowledged that the ‘precise mode of failure could not be replicated.’”
False Warnings of Soviet Missile Attacks Put U.S. Forces on Alert in 1979-1980
Washington D.C., March 16, 2020 - During the Cold War, false alarms of missile attacks were closely held matters although news of them inevitably leaked. Today the National Security Archive revisits t...
nsarchive.gwu.edu
November 9, 2025 at 3:50 PM
“… software simulating a Soviet missile attack [on] NORAD’s … computers ‘was inexplicably transferred into the regular warning display’ …. Indeed, NORAD’s Commander-in-Chief later acknowledged that the ‘precise mode of failure could not be replicated.’”
Yes! An excellent surprise.
November 8, 2025 at 10:07 PM
Yes! An excellent surprise.
"He's intelligent, but not experienced. His pattern indicates ... two-dimensional thinking."
Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan (4/8) Movie CLIP - Kirk Beats Khan (1982) HD
YouTube video by Movieclips
www.youtube.com
November 8, 2025 at 8:04 PM
"He's intelligent, but not experienced. His pattern indicates ... two-dimensional thinking."
I still can't hear anything, but I'm glad you can.
November 8, 2025 at 7:56 PM
I still can't hear anything, but I'm glad you can.
Could've been!
November 8, 2025 at 6:47 PM
Could've been!