nxs@fluke.UUCP (Bruce Golub) (10/31/84)
*** REPLACE THIS MESSAGE WITH YOUR LINE ***
Attention Mr Medien.
The following is taken from "Nuclear Illusion and Reality", written by a
nobody (Solly Zuckerman) who just happens to have been:
o Deputy Chairman of the Advisory Council on Scientific Data
o Chief Scientific Advisory to the Minisrty of Defense
o Chief Scientific Advisory to the British Goverment
(note: his other official posts, mentioned above,
were in the British Gov.)
o He was also was responsible for researching the biological effects
of bomb blasts during WWII.
Now, I hope this qualifies what he says as being exceptable to Mr. Medin
(Some people have enough common sense to believe in common sense and do not
require this sort of disclaimer.)
<start of excerpt>
I have attempted to focus on the facts of destruction, not on the numbers of
warheads and delivery vehicles. I have done so because the general person
who is concerned with these matters must surely have become mesmerized by
the outpourings of amateur strategists (wake up milo, someone mentioned your
name) who disguise their lack of understanding (or direct experience) with
destruction and social breakdown behind a smokescreen of numbers.
The central facts (to nuclear reality) are merely lost in the
technicalities. What matters is that a nuclear exchange (any nuclear
exchange) could blot out (i.e. destory) civilization in both the Eurasiatic
and North American continents.
So Mr. Medin, I guess you'll probably say "see I told you so, you can't blow
the whole world up X times over, see, see...."
Yes, I think the majority of people in this country (82% in the last Gallup
Poll) see it very clearly.
Bruce (once is enough) Golub
what -- you said there are other continents, oh thats okay we'll let china,
isreal, india and any of the other newcomers bomb'm.
medin@ucbvax.ARPA (Milo Medin) (11/07/84)
May I point out the the word could.... Societal impacts would be severe, and I am not saying there wouldnt be terrible destruction, there would. But what I am saying is that there will be many many survivors, and civilisation wouldnt be over. I dont know what the post-war environment would be like, and I dont care to find out. But what the Soviets percieve it to be like has to be taken seriously, especially if numbers are on their side... SEVENER says the world would end. I say it wont. I think Zuckerman would agree with me. Milo