4 ms·

I suspect if there was thought to be a real threat then those flights wouldn't be visible on commercial flight tracking sites!

jacobush 6y ago
I don't believe there was something unusual going on, but I would not put any weight on visible on commercial tracking on or not. If it's something clandestine, it may be smarter to hide in "normality" rather than looking obviously "stealthy".
- arethuza 6y ago
  Well, I guess one reason for keeping it public is literally to demonstrate to other nations that the US is prepared for this kind of thing - but I suspect everyone who needed to know that already knew... "Of course, the whole point of a Doomsday Machine is lost, if you keep* it a secret! Why didn't you tell the world, EH?"
  - 082349872349872 6y ago
    Given that JCS seems to have leveller heads than POTUS (witness their responses to his suggestions of persian gulf aggression or of domestic deployment), I find it reassuring. "Gentlemen, you can't fight in here! This is the War room!" Gutmang na kang du kombat xiya, fo xidawang da imbobo da kombat!
dredmorbius 6y ago
Power and vigilance displays are most effective when seen. Nuclear strategy accurately reflected in Dr. Strangelove with the (fictional but strategically accurate) Soviet deadman switch, whose effectiveness was blunted by being secret rather than known.
- wolf550e 6y ago
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_Hand https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_Hand
  - dredmorbius 6y ago
    Development beginning in 1967, three years after the release of Dr. Strangelove, and mostly not functional until the 1980s. Whether the film merely anticipated or actually inspired the weapons management system isn't clear. American Cold War strategist and generally charming sprite Herman Kahn's 1960 book On Thermonuclear War inspired Kubrik. https://archive.org/details/onthermonuclearw00kahn/page/n5/mode/2up https://archive.org/details/onthermonuclearw00kahn/page/n5/m...

jacobush 6y ago

I don't believe there was something unusual going on, but I would not put any weight on visible on commercial tracking on or not. If it's something clandestine, it may be smarter to hide in "normality" rather than looking obviously "stealthy".

arethuza 6y ago
Well, I guess one reason for keeping it public is literally to demonstrate to other nations that the US is prepared for this kind of thing - but I suspect everyone who needed to know that already knew... "Of course, the whole point of a Doomsday Machine is lost, if you keep* it a secret! Why didn't you tell the world, EH?"
- 082349872349872 6y ago
  Given that JCS seems to have leveller heads than POTUS (witness their responses to his suggestions of persian gulf aggression or of domestic deployment), I find it reassuring. "Gentlemen, you can't fight in here! This is the War room!" Gutmang na kang du kombat xiya, fo xidawang da imbobo da kombat!

dredmorbius 6y ago

Power and vigilance displays are most effective when seen. Nuclear strategy accurately reflected in Dr. Strangelove with the (fictional but strategically accurate) Soviet deadman switch, whose effectiveness was blunted by being secret rather than known.

wolf550e 6y ago
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_Hand https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_Hand
- dredmorbius 6y ago
  Development beginning in 1967, three years after the release of Dr. Strangelove, and mostly not functional until the 1980s. Whether the film merely anticipated or actually inspired the weapons management system isn't clear. American Cold War strategist and generally charming sprite Herman Kahn's 1960 book On Thermonuclear War inspired Kubrik. https://archive.org/details/onthermonuclearw00kahn/page/n5/mode/2up https://archive.org/details/onthermonuclearw00kahn/page/n5/m...