JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF

Most Americans believed that only the President could authorize a nuclear strike. However, that was not so. This secret memorandum gave many military officers the right to strike if they thought it was an “emergency”. So for example, the Commanding general of the Strategic Air Command could order a nuclear attack if he thought that it was an emergency. The scenario of the film Dr. Strangelove was therefore much more plausible than most people assumed. Individual general officers had a such authority and they could have a mental breakdown or a hyperaggressive personality and philosophy. It is not know how long this non-Presidential nuclear use authority lasted or was expanded or what the secret current status might be.

The president had wanted to send large amounts of armament and other material to England—Lend Lease—to help stave off a German invasion. The leading military men argued against it. Conservative isolationists and Congress had prevented our own military from having enough supplies and equipment. Also the conclusion of the American military leadership of the time was that England was beyond help and would have to capitulate to Germany. Even with massive armaments they would not be able to defend themselves. Any arms that we might provide to England would then fall into German hands. Roosevelt then sent his civilian assistant, Harry Hopkins, to England to assess their ability to survive. Hopkins with no military experience told Roosevelt that with the arms and ammunition England would be able to forestall invasion. Roosevelt trusted Hopkins’ judgment and decided to arm England. Hopkins turned out to be exactly correct and the military leadership was wrong. See {642830}.

The reason that the report was secret was that almost all of the 1600 scientists they were bringing into the United States were Nazis, and many of them were War Criminals who had perpetrated many of the worst atrocities ranging from murder, unwilling experimental subjects, torture and use of slave labor. It was illegal to being in such people so identities were forged in many cases. In the worst of cases, they military got the secret authority to bring in 100 Nazis annually without any explanation or paperwork. Had the public or even the Congress known, at the time, it would have been a major scandal. One justification was that the Russians were also secretly brining in the Nazi scientists they could capture. The war criminals were happy to work for the Russians or us else the alternative was to be tried as war criminals. Ironically, the Russians and the Americans both propagandized against each other for using Nazi scientists while both were doing it. However, the propaganda people may not have known that their own nation was doing the same thing.

The president had wanted to send large amounts of armament and other material to England—Lend Lease—to help stave off a German invasion. The leading military men argued against it. Conservative isolationists and Congress had prevented our own military from having enough supplies and equipment. Also the conclusion of the American military leadership of the time was that England was beyond help and would have to capitulate to Germany. Even with massive armaments they would not be able to defend themselves. Any arms that we might provide to England would then fall into German hands. Roosevelt then sent his civilian assistant, Harry Hopkins, to England to assess their ability to survive. Hopkins with no military experience told Roosevelt that with the arms and ammunition England would be able to forestall invasion. Roosevelt trusted Hopkins’ judgment and decided to arm England. Hopkins turned out to be exactly correct and the military leadership was wrong. See {642830}.

Most Americans believed that only the President could authorize a nuclear strike. However, that was not so. This secret memorandum gave many military officers the right to strike if they thought it was an “emergency”. So for example, the Commanding general of the Strategic Air Command could order a nuclear attack if he thought that it was an emergency. The scenario of the film Dr. Strangelove was therefore much more plausible than most people assumed. Individual general officers had a such authority and they could have a mental breakdown or a hyperaggressive personality and philosophy. It is not know how long this non-Presidential nuclear use authority lasted or was expanded or what the secret current status might be.

The reason that the report was secret was that almost all of the 1600 scientists they were bringing into the United States were Nazis, and many of them were War Criminals who had perpetrated many of the worst atrocities ranging from murder, unwilling experimental subjects, torture and use of slave labor. It was illegal to being in such people so identities were forged in many cases. In the worst of cases, they military got the secret authority to bring in 100 Nazis annually without any explanation or paperwork. Had the public or even the Congress known, at the time, it would have been a major scandal. One justification was that the Russians were also secretly brining in the Nazi scientists they could capture. The war criminals were happy to work for the Russians or us else the alternative was to be tried as war criminals. Ironically, the Russians and the Americans both propagandized against each other for using Nazi scientists while both were doing it. However, the propaganda people may not have known that their own nation was doing the same thing.