Sam Harris

I mean, you've just

pointed out two very important pieces of context.

One is we were already committing similar genocides of civilians by firebombing cities and killing tens of thousands of people a day.

And

Not really.

In the aftermath, we second-guessed that a little bit, but it just seemed like we were, especially in the case of Nazi Germany, we had an adversary that was so obviously in the wrong and evil and aspiring to create catastrophic harm globally that we sort of had to throw out the rulebook and our scruples with it.

So now I realize I derailed you in giving us your bona fides on this topic.

I last left you with Jonathan Schell learning to write.

So then what happened to you?

What is the Century Foundation?

What do they do?

And you also worked at the Carnegie Corporation, which I also realize I am confused about.

I have heard their name, I think, in sponsorship of PBS or NPR a bunch, but what do they do?

Okay, so let's talk about nuclear risk and just how it has waxed and waned over the years.

Most people still put the absolute peak of risk at the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962.

Isn't that the case?

And actually, we recently learned that it was quite a bit riskier than we even thought.

Perhaps you want to review some of that history because it really was what we were unaware of.

I'm thinking, of course, of the tactical nukes that the Soviets already had in place that we were apparently unaware of.

It's very easy to see how things could have spiraled out of control had we invaded as I think was recommended by the National Security Council.