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November 21, 2007
The Mystery of Minot: Loose nukes and a cluster of dead airmen raise troubling questions
By Dave Lindorff
An "accident" that couldn't happen, and an official "investigation" that didn't look into some key questions.
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This article appeared initially in the Oct. 22, 2007 issue of American Conservative magazine.
By Dave Lindorff
The unauthorized Aug. 29 cross-country flight of a B-52H Stratofortress armed with six nuclear-tipped AGM-29 Advanced Cruise missiles, which saw these 150-kiloton warheads go missing for 36 hours, has all the elements of two Hollywood movies. One would be a thriller about the theft from an armed weapons bunker of six nukes for some dark and murky purpose. The lead might be played by Matt Damon. The other movie would be a slapstick comedy about a bunch of bozos who couldn’t tell the difference between a nuclear weapon and a pile of dummy warheads. The lead might be played by Adam Sandler, backed by the cast of “Police Academy III.”
So far, the Pentagon, which has launched two separate investigations into the incident, seems to be assuming that it is dealing with the comedy version, saying that some incredible “mistake” led to nuclear weapons being taken inadvertently from a weapons-storage bunker, loaded into launch position on a bomber, and flown from North Dakota to Louisiana.
For the rest of this story, please go to ThisCantBeHappening.net
Other storys about the Minot nuclear incident:
More Questions About the Minot Nukes
The Air Force Cover-Up of that Minot-Barksdale Nuke Missile Flight
Were Those Cruise Missiles Targeted? Did Anybody Check?
Nukes Over America: All a Mistake. Sure it Was
This Was No Accident: Nuclear Weapons are Different
Was That Nuclear-Armed B-52 Flight Bound for Iran?
Dave Lindorff, winner of a 2019 "Izzy" Award for Outstanding Independent Journalism from the Park Center for Independent Media in Ithaca, is a founding member of the collectively-owned, journalist-run online newspaper www.thiscantbehappening.net. He is a columnist for Counterpunch, is author of several recent books ("This Can't Be Happening! Resisting the Disintegration of American Democracy" and "Killing Time: An Investigation into the Death Penalty Case of Mumia Abu-Jamal"). His latest book, coauthored with Barbara Olshanshky, is "The Case for Impeachment: The Legal Argument for Removing President George W. Bush from Office (St. Martin's Press, May 2006).