The Russian Nuclear Bomb In Washington, DC

The Memory Hole ^ | Russ Kick

[Reaganwuzthebest]

In its 12 Nov 2001 issue, Time ran this brief article on page 31. Hugh Sidey—the magazine's Washington Contributing Editor—has been covering the presidency for Life and Time since 1957. In this snippet, he reveals that JFK told him in 1961 that the Soviet Union has a nuclear bomb in its embassy in Washington, DC.

In my book, this counts as a major revelation, yet there are several factors that indicate that this piece was created in a way that minimizes its impact. And that's exactly what happened: minimal impact. A sitting president told a White House reporter that the Russians have an atomic bomb in the nation's capitol, and no one heard it.

Here are some of the odd aspects of this article:

Presentation. After the letters section, each issue of Time has a section called "Notebook," a hodgepodge of quotes, obituaries, and factoids. This crucial revelation was run in this unlikely section, on the same page as a look at Muslim headgear. And because it was put in "Notebook," it's not available online, since Time doesn't post that section on its Website.

To top it off, the article is presented under the label "Personal History," as if it were some charming recollection of JFK spilling soup on his tie and making a witty remark.

Timing. Kennedy told Sidey about the A-bomb in 1961. Sidey told us in 2001. Does Time have any explanation about why it waited 40 years to publish this remarkable piece of information?

It certainly makes one wonder what the current President is telling White House reporters—revelations that Time will publish in 2042.

Lack of follow-up by Time. OK, so the Soviet Union smuggled parts for an atomic bomb in diplomatic pouches, then assembled it in their DC embassy. Does anyone know whether this bomb still exists and where it is now? Seems to me that there's a good chance it's still somewhere in the area. When the Soviet Union collapsed, did they take apart the bomb and ship the pieces back to Russia in diplomatic pouches? Did they load the whole thing onto an airplane and fly it back to the motherland? Both scenarios seem unlikely. Would Time care to investigate whether this bomb is still in the Russian embassy in Washington, DC?

Lack of follow-up by the rest of the media. Come to think of it, would anyone care to investigate this? It appears that no other media outlet has picked up the story. You might think that Kennedy revealing an A-bomb a few blocks from the White House would be highly newsworthy, but you'd be wrong.

[old school]

Not that there's anything wrong with the way you said it the first time! I understood you implicitly. Some people are just overly sensitive.

[AdA$tra]

Nothing says I love you more than a small, well placed, nuke.

[PoorMuttly]

Sure, but you're wrong about Hicksville.

It's built on an ancient Indian burial ground.

[Diddle E. Squat]

Do you keep getting punched in the face at social events and wondering why?

Your attempt at humor fails to recognize taste, appropriateness, or good judgement. Make a lot of jokes at funerals, too?

[hoosierham]

Wanna bet WE had(have) a big one in Moscow ?

Kind of an interesting "mexican standoff" , only requires a few dedicated people willing to die for their country (or at least on the orders of their leader).

If the Russians did have one in Washington,D.C. , what are the odds there is one in Peking, and London, and Paris, and Havana, and .....

[bok]

Don't let muslim nor any other third world filth into the unitied states.

[DWSUWF]

"...In some ways I think that the detonation of a small nuclear devise in D.C. might be a blow for freedom for the American people..."

LOL!

You rubbed some fur backwards with that remark, didn't you?

And yet, perhaps it was precisely this calculation that stayed the Russian's hand on more than one occasion.

[George W. Bush]

This article is something of a confirmation for me. I always thought the most obvious thing the Russians could do would be to mine a few key American cities. Not to mention concealing nuclear weapons on their freighters which move in and out of our ports regularly.

Sort of eliminates that early-warning system if you take out primary political control immediately. But then the Russians would have had to deal with a purely military-controlled nuclear response. Not the best thing for them.

I consider it unlikely that we ever mined any of their cities because of their far more stringent internal security.

[mamelukesabre]

Better to nip the threat in the bud now than to wait untill they have even more powerful weapons.

[gcruse]

In some ways I think that the detonation of a small nuclear
devise in D.C. might be a blow for freedom for the American people.

You are a nurse, with a daughter?  Do you
check your ethics at the login or something?

[krb]

Maybe it's a non-issue because Kennedy or Johnson took care of the problem.

[Quix]

WHY WOULD WE THINK OTHERWISE OF THE RUSKIES.

[NMC EXP]

And yet, perhaps it was precisely this calculation that stayed the Russian's hand on more than one occasion.

---

Nice analysis. The Soviets must have realized that we Amerikanskis had "met the enemy, and he is us."

Regards

J.R.

[Eternal_Bear]

How many nukes have the Chicoms smuggled in? Or maybe they have them in a mountain cave across the border in Mexico?

[bat-boy]

bwhahahahahahahahaha.

I couldn't think of a better ending for the scum.

Love of country DOES NOT EQUAL love of government!

[lavaroise]

Bumptihumptydumpy

[Reaganwuzthebest]

How many nukes have the Chicoms smuggled in?

Would not suprise me at all if they brought in a few. In fact I think we should assume they have.

[Prince Charles]

Bttt.

[nw_arizona_granny]

2002, JFK, history from 1961.