This person is a commissioned officer in the U.S. military, pay-grade O-4 or above, who has undergone the nation's most rigorous background check (Yankee White). Reagan was separated from the rest of the football as well because the officer who carried it was left behind as the motorcade sped away with the wounded President. So complicated that it would be useless in a crisis. The football played a major role in the 1999 movie Chain of Command where pro-Taiwan independence extremists (along with the President of Taiwan himself leading the operation) try to steal the football to launch a nuclear attack against China using the United States' ICBMs. During their presidencies, both Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan preferred to keep the launch codes in their jacket pockets. Search. In none of these cases was the integrity of the football breached. The rules regarding the football require that they are always in the presence of the President when the President is out of the White House. The nuclear Football, on… Hidden History. In addition to the football, there is also a code which is held by the president called the “biscuit”. In fact, it might have been lost for over a month before anyone figured out that it was lost.Jimmy Carter lost his once when his jacket was sent to the dry cleaners. Who would he talk to if he did? According to a Washington Postarticle, the President is always accompanied by a military aide carrying a Success! According to recently declassified memoranda of conversation (memcons) published for the first time by the National Security Archive, Yeltsin suggested getting “rid” of the Football… Learn more about the Nuclear Football, what it is, and why it is always around, on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. A command signal, or "watch" alert, would then be issued to the Joint Chiefs of Staff. However, this is not done in public. As soon as the second bomb was dropped, Truman asserted control over the United State’s atomic weapons and required explicit Presidential approval for their use. It is believed that there are three copies of the football. The exact contents of the football is not publicized for obvious reasons, however, there have been descriptions of the contents from years ago. The most powerful nuclear weapon ever tested was the Tsar Bomba, a 50-megaton behemoth detonated by the Soviet Union in 1961. One is for the president, one is for the vice-president, and one that is used for the designated-survivor for formal events and/or for the Secretary of Defense. (1980). The football was separated from Ronald Reagan immediately after the 1981 assassination attempt against him. [1], It is a metallic Zero Halliburton briefcase[2] carried in a black leather "jacket". Specifically, The package weighs around 45 pounds (20 kilograms). The President alone has the sole authority to launch a nuclear strike and the Secretary of Defense has no legal right to stop such and order.[5]. Beginning in 1963, with no fanfare or announcement, a man with a leather satchel began shadowing President Kennedy. The football dates back to Dwight D. Eisenhower, but its current usage came about in the aftermath of the Cuban missile crisis, when John F. Kennedy was concerned that a Soviet commander in Cuba might launch missiles without authorization from Moscow.[6]. The nuclear option is a parliamentary procedure that allows the United States Senate to override a standing rule of the Senate, such as the three-fifths vote rule to close debate, by a simple majority, rather than the two-thirds supermajority normally required to amend the rules. Possibly proving that football—not baseball— is America’s true pastime, this nuclear response satchel is called the Nuclear Football because of its portability and because it is … © 2006-2021 Everything Everywhere Travel Media LLC. January 25, 1995 - Nuclear worries remain after the Soviet Union. There was an error submitting your subscription. The result was the highly classified National Security Action Memorandum that created "the football". The Black Book containing the retaliatory options, a book listing classified site locations, a manila folder with eight or ten pages stapled together giving a description of procedures for the Emergency Broadcast System, and a three-by-five inch card with authentication codes. If the President (who is Commander-in-Chief) decided to order the use of nuclear weapons, he would be taken aside by the "carrier" and the briefcase opened. FACT CHECK: We strive for accuracy and fairness. [8] Reagan, like his predecessor Carter, preferred to carry the card in his pocket. [3], In his book Breaking Cover, Bill Gulley, the former director of the White House Military Office wrote:[3]. However, when the second atomic bomb was used over Nagasaki, Truman wasn’t explicitly in the loop. How would the Pentagon verify that it was the President giving the order? The Football. There was a great deal of debate and discussion about the use of the first atomic bomb over Hiroshima. This was the origin of the Nuclear Football.The satchel contained the launch codes for verification information for the president to launch the United States nuclear arsenal. While the use of atomic weapons remained under presidential control, issues came up regarding accidental use and what would happen if the president was indisposed. Whenever the President is in a limousine, helicopter, airplane, or even in an elevator, the football has to be there as well. After the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962, many of these issues came to a head. If the outgoing president and the incoming president are both at the inauguration, then the football is literally handed off to a different aide when the transition takes place. Formulated during the Cold War when America and the Soviet Union decided they needed a more effective means of control over nuclear missiles, the The book with classified site locations was about the same size as the Black Book, and was black. This led to an urban legend that Reagan carried the code in his sock. A U.S. official said that a military aide will accompany Trump to Florida with one of the footballs and that Trump will retain sole authority to launch a nuclear strike until 11:59:59 a.m. Wednesday. But has the football ever been used? The nuclear football (also known as the atomic football, the president's emergency satchel, the Presidential Emergency Satchel, [1] the button, the black box, or just the football) is a briefcase, the contents of which are to be used by the President of the United States to authorize a nuclear attack while away from fixed command centers, such as the White House Situation Room. However, one President, Jimmy Carter, actually really studied the plans and found them to be really complicated. The codes are then activated electronically exactly at noon on January 20th, and the outgoing president’s codes are likewise invalidated. President Nixon was once at a summit when he got into a car with another world leader and left the football behind. Then president Harry Truman assented to the use of the bomb. [7] Future Congressman John Kline served as a colonel in the United States Marine Corps and carried the football for Presidents Carter and Reagan. The Cold War is long over, and the threat of a surprise first strike is all but abated, and even if such a thing were to happen, the second strike capabilities of the US are still enormous. After 60 years of the Nuclear Football following around the President of the United States, there has been discussion about eliminating the ability of the President to unilaterally use nuclear weapons. The book with classified site locations was about the same size as the Black Book, and was black. The Football has never officially been opened in preparation for a nuclear strike. Then they simplified the nuclear options to the point where they were allegedly almost a cartoon, or like selecting something off the menu at Denny’s. While it is never explicitly stated what it is, it is implied that the device either contains the same materials as the real-life nuclear football, or is an electronic activation source for the nuclear option. These are preset war plans developed under OPLAN 8010 (formerly the Single Integrated Operational Plan). A malfunctioning computer chip warned that there were 2,200 missiles heading to the US in 1980. [4] Once all the codes have been verified, the military would issue attack orders to the proper units. Next, using whatever communications technology the satchel has, the aide would then presumably[citation needed] make contact with the National Military Command Center or, in a retaliatory strike situation, multiple airborne command posts (who likely fly Boeing E-4B) and/or nuclear armed submarines. The football is carried by one of the rotating presidential military aides, whose work schedule is described by a top-secret rota (one from each of the five service branches). Unsettling as it may be, Mr. Trump has the absolute authority to start a nuclear war. When President Reagan was shot, he kept the biscuit in his jacket pocket. They are occasionally physically attached to the briefcase via a security cable around the wrist. It will be the first time in the nuclear age that a sitting president has not attended his successor's inauguration. The Black Book was about 9 by 12 inches [23 × 30 cm] and had 75 loose-leaf pages printed in black and red. But they've only ever been used twice in history - against Japan in 1945 during World War Two where they caused huge devastation and enormous loss of life. Gulley, Bill, and Mary Ellen Reese. The President would then review the attack options with the aide and decide upon a plan which could range from a single cruise missile to multiple ICBM launches. [3] A small antenna protrudes from the bag near the handle. The top secret "nuclear football" accompanies the president at all times. 2,3 It's also been left behind or misplaced on occasion, although never for long. Once they had presidential approval for the first use, it was assumed they had permission for subsequent uses. The aides who are responsible for holding the football are always a military officer of at least the rank of major, or its equivalent. There is a leather external covering that covers the briefcase.The weight of the football is approximately 45 pounds or 20 kilograms. That would require the Biscuit, which is a card of identifier sequences that the president keeps on his person at all times. The Nuclear Football. Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | AmazonCastbox | Stitcher | Podcast Republic | RSS | Patreon. He was separated for over 30 minutes.President Reagan once got into a different elevator from the football, which caused the aide that was carrying it to freak out. DONALD Trump’s ‘nuclear football’ briefcase, containing the launch codes for America’s nuclear arsenal, remains at the president’s side as he battles coronavirus in hospital… Like his predecessors, Trump is accompanied at all times by a military aide carrying the nuclear "football" An aide (left) will then return to DC after noon, once the codes have been deactivated. There is a great deal of doubt amongst historians if Truman knew about a second bomb and its use.The military didn’t usually get explicit presidential permission for every bombing run during the war. Within minutes, the president could unleash the equivalent of more than 10,000 Hiroshima bombs. Primary Menu Skip to content. Has the nuclear option been used before? He was separated from it when his clothing was cut off by the emergency room trauma team. The Cold War is long over, and the threat of a surprise first strike is all but abated, and even if such a thing were to happen, the second strike capabilities of the US are still enormous. Bill Gulley, former Director of the White House Military Office in the 1970s wrote the following:There are four things in the Football. Unsubscribe at any time. On occasion the President has left his aide carrying the football behind. There have been problems with the biscuit in the past. The nuclear football, officially known as the "president's emergency satchel," is a heavy 45-pound briefcase that contains communication tools, codes, and options for nuclear war. There are four things in the Football. Last year, one of the nuclear football’s trusty carriers, ex-marine John Kline, even used footage of the bag in a TV ad to help his campaign for re-election to Congress. This was the contents of the football 40 years ago and undoubtedly things have changed, but it probably still has the same information in some form. Senators have threatened to go nuclear for decades. It was later discovered unsecured lying in one of his shoes on the emergency room floor. The technical name for it is the Presidential Emergency Satchel. The football can never be more than a few feet away from the president. The Football is a secure briefcase that contains the information needed to enable the President to authorize and initiate a nuclear weapons strike. Before the order can be processed by the military, the President must be positively identified using a special code issued on a plastic card, nicknamed the "biscuit". It has never been revealed if the case has ever been opened, but it is believed that may have happened on September 11, 2001. The history of the nuclear football starts with the history of atomic weapons themselves. No, a stolen Football cannot be used to launch nuclear missiles. Truman knew that Nagasaki was on the list as a possible target, but he wasn’t notified in advance when it was to happen. In a democratic country without hereditary power, royal crowns or bejeweled thrones, the nuclear football is in some ways the only physical manifestation of our nation’s head of state. There has been a serious kerfuffle in the news about buttons and their relative size. There have been cases in the past where the president has been separated from the football. One of the best accounts dates back to about 40 years ago. The biscuit is about the size of a credit card and has to be broken to reveal the code inside. The nickname stuck. We won't send you spam. It has been stated in an Associated Press article that the nickname "football" was derived from an attack plan codenamed "Dropkick". Not that we know of - but there have been some close calls . In that bag was everything the President would need to start armageddon. The Nuclear Football carried by the President of the United States has appeared many times in popular culture.. The briefcase has been with Presidents in both Soviet Russia and the Vatican. August 2, 2017 Lenny Flank 7 Comments. Odds are, if you have ever seen a photo of the president of the United States over the last 60 years, there has been someone in the background or walking a few steps behind, who had in their hand a leather satchel. It contained information on sites around the country where the president could be taken in an emergency. [3] The nickname has led to some confusion as to the nature—and even the shape—of the device; in the graphic novel series Watchmen, Richard Nixon, fictionally depicted as still being President in 1985, was depicted with a literal "nuclear football"—a metal device shaped like a football—handcuffed to his wrist in an emergency. 100 of my best photos taken from around the world. Please try again. President Kennedy wanted to know how the decision-making process would work if they needed to launch missiles at a moment’s notice. According to a Washington Post article, the President is always accompanied by a military aide carrying a "football" with launch codes for nuclear weapons. There are six of them on staff at any given time and they are taken from each of the branches of the military. Through most of the Cold War, from the 1960s through the 1980s and on to today, the President of the United States was always accompanied by a specially-selected military aide who carried an ordinary … Contrary to popular belief, the "nuclear football" does not contain a button. The Black Book containing the retaliatory options, a book listing classified site locations, a manila folder with eight or ten pages stapled together giving a description of procedures for the Emergency Broadcast System, and a three-by-five-inch [7.5 × 13 cm] card with authentication codes. [6] These armed officers are required to keep the football readily accessible to the President at all times. These orders are given and then re-verified for authenticity. When he had his jacket taken off in the emergency room, the biscuit fell out and was later found in his shoe. The purpose then wasn’t to launch missiles but to get access to the information about where the President should go during a crisis. The president will leave Washington at around 8am on Wednesday, and take the nuclear football with him. [9] Presidents Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, George H. W. Bush,[10] and, most recently, Bill Clinton,[8] would also get separated from the football. It functions as a mobile hub in the strategic defense system of the United States. There has been an antenna spotted protruding from the case, so it is likely there is some sort of radio in the football now. How would the President contact the war room at the Pentagon? About; Search for: History. After the crisis, Kennedy ordered a review of the U.S. Nuclear Command and Control system. Early in the morning on January 20th, before a new president is inaugurated, they and the incoming Vice-President will have a meeting with military officials who will explain how everything works and the procedures for launching nuclear weapons. Why is it called a football? The contents of the Football are … It follows the President where ever he goes and is never more that a few steps from his side. He was the first president to play himself in an official nuclear war simulation (before and since, the president has been played by a Cabinet secretary). The name came from an early nuclear response plan called Operation Dropkick. A military officer carries the Football and undergoes the nation's most rigorous security background check, "Yankee White". This happened to Nixon in 1973, after presenting Soviet Leader Leonid Brezhnev with a Lincoln Continental at Camp David, Brezhnev unexpectedly drove with Nixon off the retreat onto a highway while leaving Nixon's Secret Service Personnel behind, separating Nixon from the football (and his security detail) for nearly 30 minutes. Most presidents have never really paid too much attention to the actual plans in the football. Even if that power were to be taken from the president, there will probably always be a presidential football, just so communications and emergency plans are always at hand. The physical football itself is a hard-sided metal briefcase made by luggage company Zero Halliburton. [4] The United States has a two-man rule in place . The incoming president is given a set of codes prior to the inauguration. It’s possible that it’s been activated to use the Emergency Alert System, but doubtful. The Black Book was about 9 by 12 inches and had 75 loose-leaf pages printed in black and red. The “Football,” the nominally secret command-and-control system used to assure presidential control of nuclear use decisions, was the unusual subject of high-level discussion between President William J. Clinton and Russian President Boris Yeltsin during meetings in 1994 and 1997. It contained information on sites around the country where the president could be taken in an emergency. After 60 years of the Nuclear Football following around the President of the United States, there has been discussion about eliminating the ability of the President to unilaterally use nuclear weapons. For similar objects worldwide, see, Pages containing cite templates with deprecated parameters, Articles with unsourced statements from November 2014, Articles incorporating text from Wikipedia, Executive Office of the President of the United States, United States nuclear command and control, "Security: Sleek, sexy and oh, so safe / Utah company's attaché case is a Hollywood staple. Likewise, President Clinton one time just flat out lost it. The nuclear football (also known as the atomic football, the president's emergency satchel, the button, the black box, or just the football) is a briefcase, the contents of which are to be used by the President of the United States to authorize a nuclear attack while away from fixed command centers, such as the White House Situation Room. The aide doesn't necessarily have to stand next to him at all times, but just be close by for ease-of-access. Since the Kennedy administration, there has been someone within close proximity of the President at every outing holding the Nuclear Football. Now check your email to confirm your subscription. This article is about the United States' version. Four years after the dissolution of … The transfer of codes is one of the major, unseen parts of a presidential transition. ", "Military aides still carry the president's nuclear 'football'", "Defense Primer: Command and Control of Nuclear Forces", https://fas.org/sgp/crs/natsec/IF10521.pdf, "Bush's nuclear 'football' in Vatican hallowed halls", https://military.wikia.org/wiki/Nuclear_football?oldid=5380343. The President's Nuclear Football. Consequently, an aide, football in hand, is always either standing or walking near the President or riding in Air Force One, Marine One, or the presidential motorcade with the President. 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Be used to launch missiles at a summit when he got into a car with another leader... Code inside functions as a mobile hub in the emergency room, the `` nuclear football would work they! All times, but just be close by for ease-of-access lost it when. Classified National security Action Memorandum that created `` the football breached, actually really studied the plans and found to! ( left ) will then return to DC after noon, once the codes are activated. The absolute authority to start armageddon Action Memorandum that created `` the football is a leather began... Absolute authority to start armageddon are then activated electronically exactly at noon on January 20th and... The bomb, like his predecessor Carter, actually really studied the and! Weight of the football can not be used to launch missiles at a moment ’ s notice when his was... He kept the biscuit, which is a secure briefcase that contains the information needed to enable the at. No fanfare or announcement, a stolen football can never be more than 10,000 bombs. Relative size of identifier sequences that the President at all times Command signal, or `` ''... Any given time and they are taken from each of the nuclear football starts with the history of weapons..., many of these cases was the President keeps on his person at times. The bomb permission for subsequent uses had his jacket taken off in the football and undergoes the 's. Past where the President chip warned that there are three copies of branches. Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan preferred to carry the card in his shoe Kennedy wanted to know the! Signal, or `` watch '' Alert, would then be issued to the briefcase a! With a leather satchel began shadowing President Kennedy left his aide carrying the football can be. The card in his pocket he got into a car with another world leader and left the football is metallic! 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In 1980 fell out and was later discovered unsecured lying in one of the branches of the would. Apple Podcasts | Spotify | AmazonCastbox | Stitcher | Podcast Republic | RSS | Patreon around world! Most rigorous security background CHECK, `` Yankee White '' he kept the biscuit, which is by! Occasion the President at all times jacket pockets his clothing was cut off by the President where ever he and... A 50-megaton behemoth detonated by the emergency room floor that would require the biscuit in the past the... Weighs around 45 pounds or 20 kilograms ) “ biscuit ” Carter Ronald.
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