On: Daniel Ellsberg has died

[arethuza]

Worth noting that UK nukes apparently don't have PALs - the crews of the UK Trident submarines have all they need to launch. Of course, being the UK the ultimate guidance on what to do if Radio 4 goes off air (thus civilisation ending) is in the form of hand written letters!

[fragmede → arethuza]

Letters of Last Resort is an interesting rabbit hole.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Letters_of_last_resort

[pizza → fragmede]

The Guardian reported in 2016 that the options are said to include: "Put yourself under the command of the United States, if it is still there", "Go to Australia", "Retaliate", or "Use your own judgement". The actual option chosen remains known only to the writer of the letter.

Well.. if there's any truth to that reporting whatsoever.. blimey....

[pavlov → fragmede]

> “four identically-worded handwritten letters from the prime minister of the United Kingdom”

I wonder if they even got Liz Truss’s letters shipped to the boats before she was out.

Her letters probably read:

“Nuclear war is very sad. But the priority now is to reduce the top marginal tax rate for high earners and follow through on Brexit”

— since these were her answers to everything.