The Armageddon Experience

Book excerpt: A chilling echo of the nuclear fear permeating America’s public during the Cold War with the Soviet Union is growing louder today, with new reports about North Korea’s progress on atomic weapons and long-range missiles, Iran’s desire for similar technologies, and Russia’s and China’s increasing pushback against the role of the US in the world. In addition, uncontrollable Middle East violence and hatred of the US is contributing to the possibility that nuclear weapons may someday detonate on American soil. Unfortunately, few of our leaders remember the horror of what nuclear weapons can cause, and the public today has little understanding of what was at stake during the Cold War and what to expect from a nuclear explosion in one of our cities.