Even though we never pushed the button there where still thousands of detonations. That's GOT to have had a long term affect on the planet doanchathink?
On Wed, Aug 4, 2010 at 10:40 AM, G Money <[email protected]> wrote: > > I can never tell if it's a sad testament to our ultimate aim to destroy > ourselves that we seem to so often bring ourselves right to the brink of > annihilation..........or a terrific testimony to our basic common sense > that > given so many opportunities to "push the button" on our mutual destruction, > we have always chosen to survive??? > > Probably a bit of both. > > On Wed, Aug 4, 2010 at 9:34 AM, Jerry Barnes <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > "did the 6 day war play into that at all maybe?" > > > > Hell yes. > > > > From wikipedia: > > > > In Six Days of War, historian Michael Oren argues that the Arab > leadership > > spread false claims about American involvement in order to secure Soviet > > support for the Arab side. > > > > In a 1993 interview for the Johnson Presidential > > Library< > > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyndon_Baines_Johnson_Library_and_Museum > >oral > > history archives, U.S. > > Secretary of Defense< > > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Secretary_of_Defense> > > Robert > > McNamara <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_McNamara> revealed that a > > carrier > > battle group <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrier_battle_group>, the > U.S. > > 6th Fleet <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._6th_Fleet>, on a training > > exercise near Gibraltar <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gibraltar> was > > re-positioned towards the eastern > > Mediterranean<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mediterranean>to be able to > > defend Israel. The administration "thought the situation was > > so tense in Israel that perhaps the Syrians, fearing Israel would attack > > them, or the Russians supporting the Syrians might wish to redress the > > balance of power and might attack Israel". The Soviets learned of this > > deployment, which they regarded as offensive in nature, and, in a hotline > > message from Soviet Premier Alexei > > Kosygin<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexei_Kosygin>, > > threatened the United States with war. > > > > The Soviet Union supported its Arab > > allies.[185]<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Six-Day_War#cite_note-184>In > > May 1967, the Soviets started a surge deployment of their naval forces > > into the East Mediterranean. Early in the crisis they began to shadow the > > US > > and British carriers with destroyers and intelligence collecting vessels. > > The Soviet naval squadron in the Mediterranean was sufficiently strong to > > act as a major restraint on the U.S. > > Navy.[186]<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Six-Day_War#cite_note-185>In a > > 1983 interview with the > > *Boston Globe <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston_Globe>*, McNamara > said > > that "We damn near had war". He said Kosygin was angry that "we had > turned > > around a carrier in the > > Mediterranean".[187]< > > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Six-Day_War#cite_note-bg1983-186> > > > > > > And that crisis was minor compared to the Yom Kippur War. The potential > > conflict between the US and the USSR was even greater. > > > > The war began with a joint surprise attack on Yom > > Kippur<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yom_Kippur>, > > the holiest day in Judaism <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judaism>, which > > coincided with the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Egypt and Syria > > respectively crossed cease-fire lines to enter the Israeli-held Sinai > > Peninsula <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinai_Peninsula> and Golan > > Heights<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golan_Heights>, > > which had been captured and occupied since the 1967 Six-Day > > War<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Six-Day_War>. > > The conflict had all the elements of a severe international crisis, and > > ended with a near-confrontation between the two nuclear superpowers, the > > United > > States <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States> and the Soviet > > Union<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_Union> > > ,[22] <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yom_Kippur_War#cite_note-21> both of > > whom launched massive resupply efforts to their allies during the war. > > > > In the meantime, Kissinger conducted a series of exchanges with the > > Egyptians, Israelis and the Soviets. On October 24 Sadat publicly > appealed > > for American and Soviet contingents to oversee the cease-fire; it was > > quickly rejected in a White House statement. Kissinger also met with > Soviet > > Ambassador Dobrynin to discuss convening a peace conference with Geneva > as > > the venue. Later in the evening (9:35pm) of October 2425, Brezhnev sent > > Nixon a "very urgent" letter. In that letter, Brezhnev began by noting > that > > Israel was continuing to violate the cease-fire and it posed a challenge > to > > both the US and USSR. He stressed the need to "implement" the cease-fire > > resolution and "invited" the US to join the Soviets "to compel observance > > of > > the cease-fire without delay" He then threatened "I will say it straight > > that if you find it impossible to act jointly with us in this matter, we > > should be faced with the necessity urgently to consider taking > appropriate > > steps unilaterally <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unilateralism>. We > cannot > > allow arbitrariness on the part of > > Israel."[188]< > > > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yom_Kippur_War#cite_note-William_B_Quandt_p_121-187 > > > > > [189] <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yom_Kippur_War#cite_note-188> In > > short, > > the Soviets were threatening to intervene in the war on Egypt's side if > > they > > could not work together to enforce the cease-fire. > > > > Kissinger immediately passed the message to Haig, who met with Nixon for > 20 > > minutes around 10:30 pm, and reportedly empowered Kissinger to take any > > necessary action.[188]< > > > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yom_Kippur_War#cite_note-William_B_Quandt_p_121-187 > > >Kissinger > > immediately called a meeting of senior officials, including Defense > > Secretary < > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Secretary_of_Defense > > > > > James > > Schlesinger <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Schlesinger>, CIA > > Director< > > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Director_of_the_Central_Intelligence_Agency > > > > William > > Colby <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Colby>, and White House > Chief > > of > > Staff <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_House_Chief_of_Staff> > Alexander > > Haig <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Haig>. The Watergate > > scandal<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watergate_scandal>had reached its > > apex, and Nixon was so agitated and discomposed that they > > decided to handle the matter without him: > > > > When Kissinger asked Haig whether [Nixon] should be wakened, the White > > House > > chief of staff replied firmly 'No.' Haig clearly shared Kissinger's > > feelings > > that Nixon was in no shape to make weighty > > decisions.[190]< > > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yom_Kippur_War#cite_note-Rabinovich_3-189> > > > > The meeting produced a conciliatory response, which was sent (in Nixon's > > name) to Brezhnev. At the same time, it was decided to increase the > Defense > > Condition <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defense_Condition> (DEFCON) from > > four to three. Lastly, they approved a message to Sadat (again, in > Nixon's > > name) asking him to drop his request for Soviet assistance, and > threatening > > that if the Soviets were to intervene, so would the United > > States.[190]< > > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yom_Kippur_War#cite_note-Rabinovich_3-189> > > > > The Soviets placed seven airborne divisions on alert and an airlift was > > marshaled to transport them to the Middle East. An airborne command post > > was > > set up in the southern Soviet Union, and several air force units were > also > > alerted. "Reports also indicated that at least one of the divisions and a > > squadron of transport planes had been moved from the Soviet Union to an > > airbase in Yugoslavia".[191]< > > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yom_Kippur_War#cite_note-190>The > > Soviets also deployed seven amphibious warfare craft with some 40,000 > > naval infantry in the Mediterranean. > > > > The Soviets quickly detected the increased American defense condition, > and > > were astonished and bewildered at the response. "Who could have imagined > > the > > Americans would be so easily frightened," said Nikolai > > Podgorny<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikolai_Podgorny>. > > "It is not reasonable to become engaged in a war with the United States > > because of Egypt and Syria," said Premier Alexei > > Kosygin<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexey_Kosygin>, > > while KGB chief Yuri Andropov > > <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yuri_Andropov>added that "We shall not > > unleash the Third > > World War <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_III>."[192]< > > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yom_Kippur_War#cite_note-191>The > > letter from the American cabinet arrived during the meeting. Brezhnev > > decided that the Americans were too nervous, and that the best course of > > action would be to wait to > > reply.[193]<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yom_Kippur_War#cite_note-192 > >The > > next morning, the Egyptians agreed to the American suggestion, and > > dropped their request for assistance from the Soviets, bringing the > crisis > > to an end. > > > > > > J > > > > - > > > > Experience hath shewn, that even under the best forms those entrusted > with > > power have, in time, and by slow operations, perverted it into tyranny - > > Thomas Jefferson on government > > > > > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Order the Adobe Coldfusion Anthology now! http://www.amazon.com/Adobe-Coldfusion-Anthology-Michael-Dinowitz/dp/1430272155/?tag=houseoffusion Archive: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/cf-community/message.cfm/messageid:324377 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/cf-community/subscribe.cfm Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/cf-community/unsubscribe.cfm
