1/4/2024 What does genocide mean why was the Cold War football why was the Cold War called the Cold WarRead Now![]() The Football also provides the commander in chief with a simplified menu of nuclear strike options-allowing him to decide, for example, whether to destroy all of America’s enemies in one fell swoop or to limit himself to obliterating only Moscow or Pyongyang or Beijing.Īlthough its origins remain highly classified, the Football can be traced back to the 1962 Cuban missile crisis. Its primary purpose is to confirm the president’s identity, and it allows him to communicate with the National Military Command Center in the Pentagon, which monitors worldwide nuclear threats and can order an instant response. “We were looking for something that would demonstrate the incredible military power and responsibilities of the president, and we struck upon this iconic object,” says curator Harry Rubenstein.Ĭontrary to popular belief, the Football does not actually contain a big red button for launching a nuclear war. A retired Football, emptied of its top-secret inner contents, is currently on display at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. Officially known as the “president’s emergency satchel,” the so-called nuclear “Football”-portable and hand-carried-is built around a sturdy aluminum frame, encased in black leather. Accompanying the commander in chief wherever he goes, the innocuous-looking briefcase is touted in movies and spy novels as the ultimate power accessory, a doomsday machine that could destroy the entire world. ![]() ![]() ![]() It is the closest modern-day equivalent of the medieval crown and scepter-a symbol of supreme authority. ![]()
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