Annie Jacobsen

Thanks for having me back.

A lot's happening.

Okay.

Well, hopefully you can read it and then you can decide if you're of the freaked out crowd or of the really freaked out crowd.

I think so.

It doesn't end well.

That's the spoiler alert.

Nuclear War, a scenario.

And a very plausible scenario from what I understand from all the defense officials I interviewed.

Well, six previous books on war, weapons, U.S.

national security secrets.

Imagine how many people told me they dedicated their lives to preventing nuclear World War III.

And so during the previous administration, fire and fury rhetoric, I began to think what happens if deterrence fails, that idea of prevention.

What happens?

And I took that question to the people who advise the president, who work at STRATCOM, who command the nuclear sub forces and learned that it doesn't end well.

Not only does it not end well, five billion people are dead at the end of 72 minutes.

You begin to realize when you – well, you quickly realize as you read the book that

Oh, yeah.

No one knows.

It's why I think the response to this book, it's been out for three months, has been so extraordinary.