Cold War Dopers - how scared were you?

[rowrrbazzle]

@Motorgirl

I don’t remember feeling worried or scared about it, but I remember feeling like it was inevitable.

Born 1951. Ditto except for watching Alas, Babylon, Fail-Safe, and a couple of incidents.

Lived through Cuban Missile Crisis AND Chicago sounding the air raid sirens at 10:30 PM on September 22, 1959.

@rowrrbazzle

This “sent thousands rushing into the streets and caused near panic in almost every section of the city” in fear of the start of a nuclear war, as the Chicago Tribune later reported. The Chicago White Sox had just won the American League pennant, their first pennant in 40 years, and city officials had ordered the sounding in celebration. Morons all.

I was 8 at the time, so I only have a vague memory of it. After checking the radio and TV stations and hearing nothing about a war, in a few minutes we calmed down. But a family member later said he expected to see mushroom clouds over downtown.

@Stranger_On_A_Train

However, even if you posit that a terrorist organization can manage to acquire nuclear weapons and transport them to the United States, while the effect on morale may be substantial, the practical effect on the nation would not be as grave as a full on exchange between major nations, and after the the initial horror and shock the nation would move on.

So you think we can absorb another terrorist attack (like some politician whose name escapes me)? :mad: