DANIEL ELLSBERG: THE DOOMSDAY MACHINE
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- čas přidán 6. 09. 2024
- In 1971, young defense analyst Daniel Ellsberg took on the Nixon administration, risking his career and freedom to leak the Pentagon Papers and show the world that the U.S. government had lied repeatedly about winning the war in Vietnam. Since then, Ellsberg has been a tireless activist for freedom of the press, whistleblowers’ rights and government accountability. Now, for the first time, Ellsberg is sharing his findings from his most ambitious project yet, The Doomsday Machine-a stunning insider’s tale of the American nuclear regime in the 1960s.
Ellsberg will reveal the terrifying truth behind the American Cold War defense strategy, from the disturbingly large number of people with the ability to initiate a nuclear strike to the shocking plans developed by the Eisenhower administration for all-out nuclear war. Ellsberg will also discuss his fears that the Trump administration’s current policies will plunge the world’s great powers back into a costly arms race with the potential for global annihilation.
Ellsberg is an award-winning defense analyst, author, speaker and activist. A Harvard-educated nuclear strategist and former Department of Defense policy expert, Ellsberg gained national attention when he leaked the Pentagon Papers to The New York Times, creating a scandal for the U.S. military and greatly discrediting those who advocated for continuing the Vietnam War. Ellsberg is also a co-founder of the Freedom of the Press Foundation. Join Ellsberg for an important conversation about truth and deception, military excesses, and the very survival of the human race.
Curious trivia:
Willow Run was designed by America’s most notably industrial architect of the period, Detroit’s Albert Kahn.
Kahn also designed “the site” of one WW2’s bloodiest battles...the Dzerzhinskiy Tractor Factory in Stalingrad (now Volgograd). A pretty remarkable coincidence. I believe this work predated Harry Ellsberg’s employment at the Kahn firm.
This is the scariest book I have ever read!
I have seen different analysis of the nuclear war potential with various countries that did not take into account the fact that these can be launched from boats and found them plausible until now. It is as if we have blinders on, Charles Salmans.
Having read this book...and...having read David E. Hoffman’s “The Dead Hand: The Untold Story of the Cold War Arms Race and it’s Dangerous Legacy”, one thing I will say is that I can’t think of a better subject for a 10 part Kenneth Burns magnum opus serial documentary. The military strategy of city busting strategic bombing with nuclear weapons is certainly as “American” as the Civil War, WW2, Baseball, Jazz, The Vietnam War. This isn’t some anti-war opinion, it is historical fact and has rarely if ever been the subject of informed public discussion. It is colossally important to mankind and so little understood by a general citizenry that is by and large kept in the dark and unfortunately seems to like it that way. As Ellsberg points out, the JCS was prepared to go to “General War” over West Berlin in 1961 even though they knew it would result in hundreds of millions of deaths (a low estimate). People don’t know the real history, and much of it HAS been declassified. The fact that there is so little current collective public curiosity about this is absolutely astounding. Having just watched Dr Strangelove with my highly educated and informed wife last week, she asked: “Do we still have nuclear armed B52s flying around like that today?” I didn’t know the answer.
The degree to which Americans remain uninformed on this stuff makes Trump’s condescending soft-pedaling of COVID-19 dangers back in January look like the height of transparency.
Getting back to Ken Burns, I think he ...or a protege...could really do a fantastic on this subject and it would be a true service to mankind. It could be the start of something that would educate people. Do it while people like Ellsberg are still alive!
Ellsberg's main point is that the military is not in real control of its nuclear weapons - it actually has no reliable command and control of nuclear forces in part due to delegations but primarily due to the ambiguity that plagues nuclear command decision making, of which accidents are a part, thus the real concern is the risk of war is far too high due to the threat uncertainties and ambiguity that results from this de facto uncontrolled 'system'. Britain understood this when it limited its nuclear forces to 2 subs which reportedly could not fire quickly but required a few days to fire as designed by their command system, allowing time for commanders to confirm in contrast the US which claims the right to terrorize the World with swift command system that allows the military to fire almost immediately. The movie Strangelove exposed alot this madness.
I had the chance to see you in person when you were at the university of Puget sound field house. I will always regret missing the opportunity to shake your hand. A true hero in opinion.
Sorry, not Alfred McCoy. Similar name...he attended the 22-21-63 ll p.m. meeting with LBJ. He helped start the S.S. that had its name changed to the CIA. Was it him who Madeline Duncan Brown said stood next to Hitler at the Olympics. The video was put up someone with the last name Thorpe, maybe. Excellent video interviewing LBJ's mistress and interrupted with photos explaining bits about who those men were, with an interesting variety of their photos. Much more interesting than your conventional college text book!!!
Dr Stangelove = John Bolton
THANKYOU!
In the Mathew Broderick movie named War Games, the computer proves what is already obvious, namely that fights escalate and there are no winners, and some smart people probably study with the hope of making a case for peace but find out that their bosses want them to make a case for war. The movie was fiction, because in real life a computer that proved that peace is the best option would have been unplugged and scrapped by the bosses. But that opportunity to make a case for peace is probably what attracts some smart people to decision theory. Nonetheless, the only people who would be qualified and motivated to see the misleading aspects of malicious models would be scientists who want peace.
I recently learned a curious knock-on from that film. President Reagan was apparently given a private viewing prior to general release due to him being an old friend of the parents of one of either the scriptwriters or screenwriters. As the film ended he asked his staff if such a scenario could happen for real and was assured that it could not but the staff would look into it. It was discovered that something similar could have happened.
@@philipbrooks402 Interesting. If Reagan was friends with the screenwriters and got a private screening, that probably wasn't coincidence.
@@greenspringvalley He was friends with the screenwriter's parents. I think the showing was as a favour. Came across the story in 'The Future of War' by Lawrence Freedman.
This thing about polish cavalry charging tanks is a myth arrised from german propaganda. There was one such incident but it was suprise attack and polish soldiers got no choise - only feasible path of escape was beside tanks.
I'm 39 now just turned 39 March 20th but I grew up 30 years in council bluffs Iowa about 15-20 minutes from Bellevue Nebraska which was offutt Air Force Base the runways lift up it's where the president came he mentioned it it's sac headquarters I wanted to fly f-16s and be a fighter pilot the idea of nuclear wars is stupid
Julian Assange will be extradited soon ! Very sad 😭
My dad a humble hippie kinda, worked foe xerox, BAE, 39 left us.
excellent
Dawn Of The New Day
When the warehouses of Raytheon, General Dynamics, etc. become full, empty them on the enemy, don't build more warehouses.
THSNK YOU
MAYOR LEE
WILL BE MISSED
apparently the polish cavalry that charged the german tanks were armed with anti tank rifles (high powered rifles that were effective against against the tanks that the germans had at the time) the poles were not delusional, only very brave, you shouldn't laugh.
mineshaft , gap
Only phrase I had to disrespect was "wiped out Finland." lol @ rubbing anybody's nose in being where they are without significant resources to steal. Enough to live makes all the difference to our survival.
ellesburg never wrote anything bad about the johnson admin? .
I'm not sure how policies that not only deny, but accentuate climate change, combined with withdrawal of agreements curtailing nuclear development such as in Iran "makes America great again." Omnicide in any form doesn't make anything great-just dead.
Ledgend
Submarines.
But for the wrong reasons
subtitle please !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
He had be - and still does, largely - until be brought up climate change, after the Ozone scare...
That this amazing person actually believes the nonsense of AGW is very worrying
left wing propaganda
'nam is over. lived right off g.n.a.s. every roof painted welcome home. as a kid. i bet you spat.