oggbashan
Dying Truth seeker
- Joined
- Jul 3, 2002
- Posts
- 56,017
Revealed today - in the 1960s and up to 1970, whenever the UK prime minister was travelling if a nuclear war started when he was away from Downing Street, we had four minutes warning.
In that time, to release the nuclear response, the prime minister had to find a public call box (or AA or RAC box) insert four pennies and call to set off the UK's armed nuclear response. If he, or his chauffeur didn't have four pennies he had to reverse the charges.
From experience at the time, setting up a reversed charge phone call took longer than four minutes. Oops!
And that covered the time of the Cuban missile crisis.
The Americans had a dedicated officer with radio communications always beside the President. So did the French.
But we Brits had to find a public call box and use four pennies.
No wonder the Russians didn't believe it.
In that time, to release the nuclear response, the prime minister had to find a public call box (or AA or RAC box) insert four pennies and call to set off the UK's armed nuclear response. If he, or his chauffeur didn't have four pennies he had to reverse the charges.
From experience at the time, setting up a reversed charge phone call took longer than four minutes. Oops!
And that covered the time of the Cuban missile crisis.
The Americans had a dedicated officer with radio communications always beside the President. So did the French.
But we Brits had to find a public call box and use four pennies.
No wonder the Russians didn't believe it.