📚 2 Books mentioned in "We Could Be on the Brink of Nuclear Annihilation | Annie Jacobsen" of The Jordan Harbinger Show
Podcast: The Jordan Harbinger Show
Episode: We Could Be on the Brink of Nuclear Annihilation | Annie Jacobsen
Published on April 3, 2024
Here’s a list of all the books mentioned in this episode. Click on the links to watch specific excerpts on YouTube and feel free to purchase the books if they caught your interest!
Nuclear War
Buy Nuclear War by Annie Jacobsen on Amazon
And so you can have misreadings, and that is a disaster because as a number of experts describe to me in the scenario, and I relay, you can have, let’s—okay, so going back to the scenario whereby a bolt-out-of-the-blue attack from North Korea which is what I propose in the book, and then the 80 nuclear warhead response, okay?
Annie Jacobsen discusses a scenario detailed in her book, highlighting the potential for misinterpretations that could lead to disastrous consequences, particularly in the context of a surprise attack from North Korea.
And then, as I show in the book, oh my God, what would happen were the nuclear command and control structure in the United States to figure out one of those ICBM tests isn't a test; it's actually headed for the United States?
Annie Jacobsen referenced her book to illustrate a shocking scenario regarding the nuclear command and control structure in the United States.
So big takeaway from the early part of the book is there's no way to win a nuclear war because it just happens too darn fast.
Annie discusses a key insight from her book, emphasizing that a nuclear war cannot be won since it occurs too quickly.
And okay, it's six or so minutes, but like, for example, and again, just sharing with listeners about how I reported this book based on facts in President Reagan's memoirs, he talks about the six-minute window; he describes it as irrational.
Annie Jacobsen discusses how she reported on the information from her book, drawing on facts from former President Reagan's memoirs to illustrate the concept of a six-minute window during a critical moment.
And that's where even more chaos is likely to ensue as I write in the book because you have these competing interests.
Annie references her book to provide insights on the chaos that may arise from competing interests.
And he really encouraged me in this, in my process here, writing this book, 'Nuclear War: A Scenario,' because he said, 'Annie, the people should know.'
Leon Panetta encouraged Annie to write her book, 'Nuclear War: A Scenario,' emphasizing the importance of making information about nuclear war accessible to the public.
And then you also can read analysts like Bruce Blair, a former ICBM miser himself for the Air Force when he was younger, and then he became a powerful spokesman all about nuclear weapons, and he wrote lots of really interesting papers, and his theory was, 'If North Korea were to launch a nuclear weapon at the United States,' which I use in the scenario, 'the response would be 82 nuclear weapons from the United States.'
Annie refers to a theory proposed by Bruce Blair about nuclear weapons which she used in the scenario presented in her book.
And that’s what I write in the scenario because, you know, Secretary Panetta and others told me about some of these very serious flaws that could result in a full-scale nuclear war, and we’ll get to some of those in a second because I’m of course curious.
Annie Jacobsen explains the reasoning behind writing the scenario in her book, highlighting insights she gained from officials like Secretary Panetta about serious flaws that could lead to a full-scale nuclear war.
Now, I mean, not to mention the fact that if you really start to nerd out about warheads, as I do a little bit in the book, but again, read my notes.
Annie highlights that she discusses warheads in her book and encourages listeners to check her notes for further insights.
And as I write in the book, you know, so while the rest of us are sleeping or going about our days, that's happening.
Annie refers to her book, discussing how it addresses important topics that occur while people are preoccupied with their daily lives.
So from coast to coast would be effective, and I describe in length in the book what this would mean, you know, what a nuclear weapon exploded in space would happen.
Annie details concepts related to a nuclear weapon in space, which she elaborates on in her book.
And this is why I use this narrative in 'Nuclear War: A Scenario' because it’s a very real fear for some in the United States government, and again, others will say that’s fear-mongering.
Annie Jacobsen discusses how she employs the narrative in her book 'Nuclear War: A Scenario' to highlight a genuine concern among some members of the US government.
The destruction from nukes, from EMP; it’s just so horrific, and I want to say you do a really good job in the book describing it without being crass.
Jordan praises Annie Jacobsen for her skillful and sensitive portrayal of the catastrophic events of nuclear war in her book.
Um, and well, I’m interrupting for a second because what I also tried to do is not try to do what I did, do is pull any scene I was writing from a factual text.
Annie explains that the book avoids being crass by relying on factual accounts.
You mentioned in the book that a lot of people would die of things like radiation poisoning and disease, and the description of that is quite gross as well, like your blood won’t coagulate, your intestines rupture, and you’re essentially poisoned by the gut contents that you have.
Jordan discusses alarming details from the book about the gruesome effects of a nuclear weapon, describing how individuals may suffer from radiation poisoning and the horrific symptoms that accompany such a fate.
I hope people read the book and join this conversation while we can still have it.
Annie Jacobsen urges listeners to read her book, 'Nuclear War: A Scenario', to raise awareness about the perils of nuclear conflict and to foster important discussions.
I have to say before we go, I was reading the acknowledgment section of your book and found it funny; the stuff that's buried in there.
Jordan mentioned that he was reading the acknowledgements section of Annie Jacobsen's book and found it to be amusing.
The scenario in the book is – I'm going to overuse the word "terrifying" in this episode – but that's just the way it is, right?
Annie explores the terrifying scenario she describes in her book.
And like your book was like, "Actually, we'll get into all this, but it's like actually, if one person gets really suicidal or homicidal, there's pretty much nothing anyone can do about it."
In this segment, Jordan references Annie Jacobsen's book, discussing a concerning insight from it: that a single individual's actions could potentially lead to catastrophic consequences, such as starting a nuclear war.
Then you begin to learn in the course of the book about all of the other insane situations which occur in seconds and minutes, not hours, were nuclear war to become a reality.
Jordan discusses how the book describes the extremely rapid sequence of events that could unfold in the event of a nuclear war.
Yeah, I like the way you handled that in the book.
Jordan expresses his appreciation for how Annie addressed the topic in her book.
Yeah, and that – I mean there's a reason why I began the book with what is known as a "bolt out of the blue" attack.
Annie Jacobsen discusses how she began her book with the concept of a 'bolt out of the blue' attack, highlighting the significance of this scenario in the context of her writing.
You mentioned in the book that something like two billion people would die as a result of this, and we know this because the US has been planning for this general nuclear war.
In this segment, Jordan discusses a statistic from Annie Jacobsen's book, highlighting the alarming prediction that two billion people would perish in the event of a nuclear war.
And bit by bit, I began piecing together this shocking, terrifying scenario based on all these interviews with all of these people from various generations now saying to me, "Yep, yep, that is not hyperbole. That is how it ends in your scenario in the book."
Annie Jacobsen shares insights from her interviews, explaining that many individuals affirmed the scenario depicted in her book, suggesting that it accurately portrays how a nuclear conflict might unfold.
And by the way, if people buy the book, please use the links in the show notes; it does support the show.
The host encourages listeners to support the show by purchasing the book through the provided links in the show notes.
The only solution is – I have to tell you – I'm way more scared of nuclear conflict than I was before reading this book.
In this segment, Jordan Harbinger expresses that his fear of nuclear conflict has increased after reading the book 'Nuclear War: A Scenario' by Annie Jacobsen, creating a foundation for a deeper discussion about the book and its implications.
And as I make very clear in the narrative and then specifically clear in my notes, of course, there's a hundred pages of notes at the end of the book like all my books.
Annie Jacobsen explains that her book includes a hundred pages of notes at the end, providing additional information and context.
And it's the first three seconds – I mean, it's just like the...I'll, of course, leave it to folks to read the book.
Annie encourages listeners to read the book for more detailed information about the first three seconds of a nuclear explosion.
As you know from reading the book in advance – and thank you for reading it so closely – this is something that is horrifying in great detail.
Annie expresses her gratitude to Jordan for his close reading of her book, which delves into horrifying details about the topic.
But the average Joe or Jane – me, or you, doesn't know about any of this, or at least didn't; I certainly didn't in such detail until I wrote this book,and that I think is the point and the power of all of this: like understand about this, know about this, look at it face it, and then join a conversation!
Annie discusses how she gained detailed knowledge about Nuclear War while writing her book, highlighting its importance and encouraging listeners to engage with this critical topic.
I mean, those are other conversations; those are offshoot conversations that I hope would happen from people reading this book.
Annie expresses her desire for readers to engage in discussions stemming from their reading of her book.
First and foremost, when they get it from the book in this incredibly narrative form, just like tick-tock: here's what happens; here's what happens in the first second; here's what happens in the second second.
Annie explains how the book presents events in a sequential, tick-tock format, outlining what occurs at each moment.
But I always found that funny, of course until I read the book – I was like, why are you telling us you're going to launch the thing?
Jordan reflects on how his perspective shifted after reading the book, questioning the rationale behind the USA announcing their intention to launch.
But the idea that we tell each other we're going to do this, in 20/20 hindsight after reading your book, is probably a really good idea.
Jordan reflects on the importance of communication, particularly after having read Annie Jacobsen's book, suggesting it is a wise approach to take.
Study Guide
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He wrote a brilliant book called The Dead Hand.
Annie talks about a brilliant book titled 'The Dead Hand' written by David Hoffman.