The secret state
by Peter Hennessy · first published 2002
5mentions
1recommended by
3HN commenters
2010–2014first – last mentioned
33% recommend67% neutral
xxvii, 286 p., [16] p. of plates ; 20 cm
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…were expected to die immediately in an attack: e.g. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Square_Leg For those interested in UK government cold war planning I can strongly recommend Peter Hennessy's book "The Secret State: Preparing for the Worst 1945-2010": http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Secret-State-Whitehall-Cold/dp/0... One particularly chilling part describes how early UK estimates thought that it would only take a…
on “'WWIII Queen's speech' script revealed” ↗For anyone interested in this kind of stuff I can recommend this book: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Secret-State-Whitehall-Cold-War/dp/0... The story of how the government planned to communicate with the V bomber fleet is wonderful...
on “British nukes were only protected by bike locks” ↗Worth noting that Hennessy was talking about the time of Harold Macmillan and the V-bombers. A great book: http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Secret-State-Whitehall-Cold/dp/0...
on “Letters of Last Resort” ↗…6 days ago, 50 comments). They are secret instructions for nuclear submarine commanders in case of something killed the whole UK government. From Wikipedia: > According to Peter Hennessy's book The Secret State: Whitehall and the Cold War, 1945 to 1970, the process by which a Trident submarine commander would determine if the British government continues to function includes, amongst other checks, establishing…
on “Unsung Hero of the Nuclear Age” ↗…checking that BBC Radio 4's still broadcasting as part of their "is the country still there" checks? From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Letters_of_last_resort : According to Peter Hennessy's book The Secret State: Whitehall and the Cold War, 1945 to 1970, the process by which a Trident submarine commander would determine if the British government continues to function includes... establishing whether BBC Radio…
on “Nukes of Hazard (2013)” ↗