The Most Grandiose Foreign Policy Gesture in History
I'll see Rob's War on Men and raise him a War on the Universe.
This story only came out earlier today, but somewhere in Hollywood the rough draft of a script is already being formed. From CBS DC:
Would Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin even had a moon to walk on if the United States had its way in the 1950s?
During the height of the Cold War, U.S. officials debated whether to detonate nuclear bomb on the moon in order to send a message to the Soviet Union, the Asian News International reports.
The secret project dubbed, “A Study of Lunar Research Flights” and nicknamed “Project A119,” was seriously being considered until it was scrapped because military officials were worried it would hurt the people on Earth.
Oh, and by the way, read the reports in full ... Carl Sagan was in on it. Box office gold, people.
Here's the part I'm still getting my head around: you're a senior Soviet official in 1950s Moscow. What message exactly are you taking from the America detonation of a nuclear weapon on the moon?
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May '11
Re: The Most Grandiose Foreign Policy Gesture in History
I suppose there might have been unintended consequences to blowing up the moon, I mean the tides are a good thing I think, but it still would have been pretty cool.
Jan '11
Re: The Most Grandiose Foreign Policy Gesture in History
What message exactly are you taking from the America detonation of a nuclear weapon on the moon?
The US Guidance system is seriously out of whack.
Edited on November 27, 2012 at 2:18amMay '12
Re: The Most Grandiose Foreign Policy Gesture in History
Somewhere, Newt Gingrich is stroking out.
Edited on November 27, 2012 at 2:22amApr '11
Re: The Most Grandiose Foreign Policy Gesture in History
KC Mulville:What message exactly are you taking from the America detonation of a nuclear weapon on the moon?
The US Guidance system is seriously out of whack. · 1 minute ago
Edited 0 minutes ago
"We are so freakin' nuts, we bomb planetary bodies THAT HAVEN'T DONE ANYTHING TO US! Are you sure you want to mess with us?!"
Clearly it would be an attempt to play the Crazy Card. As a former aspiring Mad Scientist, I approve.
Mar '11
Re: The Most Grandiose Foreign Policy Gesture in History
If we're willing to nuke the moon simply because they looked at us funny the official wonders: how will those crazy Americans deal with those who truly irritate them?
Mar '11
Re: The Most Grandiose Foreign Policy Gesture in History
C. U. Douglas
KC Mulville:What message exactly are you taking from the America detonation of a nuclear weapon on the moon?
The US Guidance system is seriously out of whack. · 1 minute ago
Edited 0 minutes ago
"We are so freakin' nuts, we bomb planetary bodies THAT HAVEN'T DONE ANYTHING TO US! Are you sure you want to mess with us?!"
Clearly it would be an attempt to play the Crazy Card. As a former aspiring Mad Scientist, I approve. · 3 minutes ago
I see we're on the same wavelength.
May '12
Re: The Most Grandiose Foreign Policy Gesture in History
I don't think it would've blown the moon up, probably just put another crater on it.
The question becomes - if someone detonates a nuke on the moon and nobody was watching did anyone see it happen?
Nov '12
Re: The Most Grandiose Foreign Policy Gesture in History
Roberto
C. U. Douglas
KC Mulville:What message exactly are you taking from the America detonation of a nuclear weapon on the moon?
The US Guidance system is seriously out of whack. · 1 minute ago
Edited 0 minutes ago
"We are so freakin' nuts, we bomb planetary bodies THAT HAVEN'T DONE ANYTHING TO US! Are you sure you want to mess with us?!"
Clearly it would be an attempt to play the Crazy Card. As a former aspiring Mad Scientist, I approve.
I see we're on the same wavelength.
Along with Frank J. Fleming, as noted by our friendly Vodkapundit.
Good company.
Re: The Most Grandiose Foreign Policy Gesture in History
Roberto
If we're willing to nuke the moon simply because they looked at us funny the official wonders: how will those crazy Americans deal with those who truly irritate them? · 6 minutes ago
It wouldn't surprise me if this was their controlling though process, but, were I in Moscow, I'd be just as likely to look at as an impotent exercise in bravado. I'd think you were crazy enough to be feared if you bombed a helpless and unantagonistic population. If you bombed an uninhabited satellite, I'd think you were crazy enough to be mocked.
Apr '11
Re: The Most Grandiose Foreign Policy Gesture in History
Troy Senik, Ed.
Roberto
If we're willing to nuke the moon simply because they looked at us funny the official wonders: how will those crazy Americans deal with those who truly irritate them? · 6 minutes ago
It wouldn't surprise me if this was their controlling though process, but, were I in Moscow, I'd be just as likely to look at as an impotent exercise in bravado. I'd think you were crazy enough to be feared if you bombed a helpless and unantagonistic population. If you bombed an uninhabited satellite, I'd think you were crazy enough to be mocked. · 0 minutes ago
Well, reading the full article, seems we fell well short of "Crazy Enough." When we're worried about the possible ramifications on our own population should things go wrong, we aren't crazy. Remember the days when we worried about possible ramifications before undertaking an activity?
Aug '10
Re: The Most Grandiose Foreign Policy Gesture in History
This explains alot about :
1. NASA and the Shuttle and the results we are left with
2. CIA, NSA, and all the big rewards like Bay of Pigs, Iran , Turkey , Cuba, and on ......
3. How we let the Soviets kill 40 million and let the Chinese kill 60 million .
4. Vietnam
5. Mutual Assured Destruction (probably had nothing to do with nuclear)
6. Jimmy Carter
7. Duck and cover
Mar '11
Re: The Most Grandiose Foreign Policy Gesture in History
Troy Senik, Ed.
Roberto
If we're willing to nuke the moon simply because they looked at us funny the official wonders: how will those crazy Americans deal with those who truly irritate them? · 6 minutes ago
It wouldn't surprise me if this was their controlling though process, but, were I in Moscow, I'd be just as likely to look at as an impotent exercise in bravado. I'd think you were crazy enough to be feared if you bombed a helpless and unantagonistic population. If you bombed an uninhabited satellite, I'd think you were crazy enough to be mocked. · 14 minutes ago
Just as well we didn't go through it then. Give Khrushchev ammunition for mockery to firm up his shoe banging... who knows what the results may have been? The West might have collapsed in the 1960's after having been thoroughly mocked a second time following Yalta.
Actually the most interesting item I noticed about that article is that it is cribbed from the British press. One sees a great deal of that lately, odd.
Aug '10
Re: The Most Grandiose Foreign Policy Gesture in History
Troy Senik, Ed.
It wouldn't surprise me if this was their controlling though process, but, were I in Moscow, I'd be just as likely to look at as an impotent exercise in bravado. I'd think you were crazy enough to be feared if you bombed a helpless and unantagonistic population. If you bombed an uninhabited satellite, I'd think you were crazy enough to be mocked.
It depends on how you play it off. It works best if the moon bombing was followed by a cool, controlled message from the top, with a deadpan delivery. "Oh that... yeah, we just wanted to test how far we could successfully obliterate stuff." The commies get the message pretty clearly.
If the lunar nuking was followed by Congress making an [expletive elided] of themselves... well, more than usual... with bravado and chest thumping and "see what great terrors we have wrought!" kind of bragging, then yeah, the Soviets would rightly look on the US as dangerous lunatics.
Sometimes the medium is the message, and earth-visible explosions on a planetary satellite is one heck of a communications medium.
Jul '10
Re: The Most Grandiose Foreign Policy Gesture in History
Troy Senik, Ed.
Roberto
If we're willing to nuke the moon simply because they looked at us funny the official wonders: how will those crazy Americans deal with those who truly irritate them? · 6 minutes ago
...If you bombed an uninhabited satellite, I'd think you were crazy enough to be mocked.
I agree Troy. Nuking Canada is a terrible idea.
Jul '10
Re: The Most Grandiose Foreign Policy Gesture in History
How awesome it would be: First We bomb the hell out of it, then We cover the face of it with Pepsi advertising. I love it.
Apr '11
Re: The Most Grandiose Foreign Policy Gesture in History
I believe they call it "projection of power."
Aug '12
Re: The Most Grandiose Foreign Policy Gesture in History
I'm in favor of nuking the moon now. For no better reason than "It would be awesome."
May '10
Re: The Most Grandiose Foreign Policy Gesture in History
The Soviets came up with a similar plan, called E-4. It's purpose was to demonstrate conclusively that a Soviet rocket had reached the moon.
Somewhere along the way, someone suggested that nuclear bombs on the moon, by throwing up a huge cloud of dust on the surface, might turn the moon Soviet red, which they thought would be very cool. Then they remembered the moon has no atmosphere, so it can't sustain dust clouds. Oh well.
The Soviets made whatever point they were ever going to make about their nuclear potency by detonating the Tsar Bomba.
May '12
Re: The Most Grandiose Foreign Policy Gesture in History
It's like those anti-drug commercials with the egg and the frying pan:
"This is the Soviet Union"...
Mar '11
Re: The Most Grandiose Foreign Policy Gesture in History
I do not recall us being impressed. Now if they had detonated it on the moon...