>Dean:
>
>I think if you were with us on our tour of the Soviet Union, you would not have seen them as very capable of launching a nuclear war head to the US. I know we wearn't toured through their missle sites but you still get a pretty good feeling about the attitudes of the people when looking at things with your own eyes.
>

Mike;

I was in the Air Force until 1967. At that time we felt the threat from the USSR was real. They had enough nuclear weapons to destroy the world 4 ½ times, and we had enough to do so 7 ½ times. Our BEMEWS could see a Piper Cub lift off from Moscow Airport. This was years before Satellites.

BEMEWS (Alaska and Thule, Greenland), Pine Tree (Canada), SAGE, ADC and NORAD (USA) had the responsibility to provide early warning through their respective radar systems and computers. If we were attacked ADC, and TAC would have the job of defending our nation. Read about SAC below.

We knew how many ICBM’s, Heavy and Medium Bombers the USSR had. Their Medium bombers could hit either coast of the United States, while the heavy bombers could hit any target on earth. The number of heavy bombers was 200 and the number of medium bombers was much greater.

During a bomber attack we estimated that 25% of the number of aircraft sent against us would succeed. All ICBM’s would penetrate with no way to stop them. Have you ever seen an ICBM? I have! They are about the size of a large telephone pole and can land on the other side of the earth. They travel at thousands of miles an hour and carry one or more warheads.

The mission of SAC was to provide a 24-hour a day threat to the USSR. Our B47’s and B52’s flew just outside the border of the USSR with orders to drop nuclear weapons when ordered to do so. Specific targets were predefined. The threat this provided was said to be, “a deterrent to attack”!

I feel the threat was and is real that we could have a nuclear war at any time. In fact I feel that such a possibility still exists.

One thing we did a lot of was, “What if” scenarios. If this occurred how would we respond? We had scenarios that worried the Pentagon! Those scenarios today seem like what you will read about in tomorrow’s newspaper. Being in the Air Force Security Service convinced me that the USSR was serious and a threat!

Remember that the USSR captured 200 German rocket scientists for every one that surrendered to the United States military! The USSR had the capability to move a heaver rocket payload then we could and was years ahead of us.

The USSR paid a price for its heavy military involvement. I wonder if we have learned a lesson from that?

Tom