I just made a similar comment to a friend in IM On Wed, Aug 4, 2010 at 10:47 AM, Medic <[email protected]> wrote: > > 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 >> > >> > >> >> > >
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