Annie Jacobsen

Between 500 and 700 miles above the Earth and moving very fast and with the Earth until it gets very close to its target. And the last 100 seconds are terminal phase. It's where the warhead reenters the atmosphere and detonates. 26 minutes and 40 seconds. Now, in my scenario, I open with North Korea launching a one megaton nuclear warhead at Washington, D.C. That's the nihilistic madman maneuver.

Between 500 and 700 miles above the Earth and moving very fast and with the Earth until it gets very close to its target. And the last 100 seconds are terminal phase. It's where the warhead reenters the atmosphere and detonates. 26 minutes and 40 seconds. Now, in my scenario, I open with North Korea launching a one megaton nuclear warhead at Washington, D.C. That's the nihilistic madman maneuver.

That's the bolt out of the blue attack that everyone in Washington will tell you they're afraid of. And North Korea... Has a little bit different geography. And so I had MIT professor emeritus Ted Postel do the math. 33 minutes from a launch pad in Pyongyang. to the East Coast of the United States. You get the idea. It's about 30 minutes.

That's the bolt out of the blue attack that everyone in Washington will tell you they're afraid of. And North Korea... Has a little bit different geography. And so I had MIT professor emeritus Ted Postel do the math. 33 minutes from a launch pad in Pyongyang. to the East Coast of the United States. You get the idea. It's about 30 minutes.

That's the bolt out of the blue attack that everyone in Washington will tell you they're afraid of. And North Korea... Has a little bit different geography. And so I had MIT professor emeritus Ted Postel do the math. 33 minutes from a launch pad in Pyongyang. to the East Coast of the United States. You get the idea. It's about 30 minutes.

But hopefully now that allows readers to suddenly see all this as a real, you almost see it as poetry, as terrible as that may sound. You can visualize it and suddenly it makes sense. And I think the sense-making part of it is really what I'm after in this book, because I want people to understand, on the one hand, it's incredibly simple. It's just the people that have made it so complicated.

But hopefully now that allows readers to suddenly see all this as a real, you almost see it as poetry, as terrible as that may sound. You can visualize it and suddenly it makes sense. And I think the sense-making part of it is really what I'm after in this book, because I want people to understand, on the one hand, it's incredibly simple. It's just the people that have made it so complicated.

But hopefully now that allows readers to suddenly see all this as a real, you almost see it as poetry, as terrible as that may sound. You can visualize it and suddenly it makes sense. And I think the sense-making part of it is really what I'm after in this book, because I want people to understand, on the one hand, it's incredibly simple. It's just the people that have made it so complicated.

I mean, I think what you're after, and I couldn't agree more with, is like, why is this fundamentally annihilating system, a system of mass genocide, as John Rubell in the book refers to it, why does it still exist? We've had 75 years since there have been two superpowers with the nuclear bomb. So that threat has been there for 75 years, and we have managed to stay alive.

I mean, I think what you're after, and I couldn't agree more with, is like, why is this fundamentally annihilating system, a system of mass genocide, as John Rubell in the book refers to it, why does it still exist? We've had 75 years since there have been two superpowers with the nuclear bomb. So that threat has been there for 75 years, and we have managed to stay alive.

I mean, I think what you're after, and I couldn't agree more with, is like, why is this fundamentally annihilating system, a system of mass genocide, as John Rubell in the book refers to it, why does it still exist? We've had 75 years since there have been two superpowers with the nuclear bomb. So that threat has been there for 75 years, and we have managed to stay alive.

One of the reasons why so many of the sources in the book agreed to talk to me, people who had not previously gone on the record about all of this, was because they are now approaching the end of their lives. They spent their lives dedicated to preventing nuclear World War III. And they'll be the first people to tell you we're closer to this as a reality than ever before.

One of the reasons why so many of the sources in the book agreed to talk to me, people who had not previously gone on the record about all of this, was because they are now approaching the end of their lives. They spent their lives dedicated to preventing nuclear World War III. And they'll be the first people to tell you we're closer to this as a reality than ever before.

One of the reasons why so many of the sources in the book agreed to talk to me, people who had not previously gone on the record about all of this, was because they are now approaching the end of their lives. They spent their lives dedicated to preventing nuclear World War III. And they'll be the first people to tell you we're closer to this as a reality than ever before.

And so the only bright side of any of this is that the answer lies most definitely in communications.

And so the only bright side of any of this is that the answer lies most definitely in communications.

And so the only bright side of any of this is that the answer lies most definitely in communications.

just when you thought it was really bad. And then you kind of realize about the submarines. I mean, the submarines are what are called second strike capacity, right? And, you know, submarines were described to me this way. They are as dangerous to civilization. And let me say, a nuclear-armed, nuclear-powered submarine is as dangerous to civilization as an asteroid, okay? They are unstoppable.

just when you thought it was really bad. And then you kind of realize about the submarines. I mean, the submarines are what are called second strike capacity, right? And, you know, submarines were described to me this way. They are as dangerous to civilization. And let me say, a nuclear-armed, nuclear-powered submarine is as dangerous to civilization as an asteroid, okay? They are unstoppable.

just when you thought it was really bad. And then you kind of realize about the submarines. I mean, the submarines are what are called second strike capacity, right? And, you know, submarines were described to me this way. They are as dangerous to civilization. And let me say, a nuclear-armed, nuclear-powered submarine is as dangerous to civilization as an asteroid, okay? They are unstoppable.