Comments on: A strange game http://airminded.org/2008/08/07/a-strange-game/ Airpower and British society, 1908-1941 Thu, 18 Mar 2010 12:27:26 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Brett Holman http://airminded.org/2008/08/07/a-strange-game/comment-page-1/#comment-106156 Brett Holman Sat, 30 May 2009 06:29:19 +0000 http://airminded.org/?p=537#comment-106156 I never said they were perceived to be threats in and of themselves; that's a reading backwards from today's situation. Iran was a potential flashpoint because of its location (on top of or near oil, adjacent to both USSR and Afghanistan), intense anti-Americanism, and ongoing war with Iraq, then supported by the US. North Korea was and is technically still at war with the US and South Korea, led by an erratic dictator, dirt poor, with a big army which had been in a shooting war with US forces a generation earlier, adjacent to rising powers Japan and China. It wouldn't have taken much imagination to see these as potential triggers for a third world war -- more likely than Gabon, say, or Chad. They wouldn't have to have been proxies either; any rash adventurism by Iran or North Korea could have had knock-on effects throughout their respective regions, which the USSR could have used as cover for some other action (like invading Hungary while the rest of the world was preoccupied with the Suez crisis). The real point is that not a whole lot of thought went into these scenarios. Some -- not much. I never said they were perceived to be threats in and of themselves; that’s a reading backwards from today’s situation. Iran was a potential flashpoint because of its location (on top of or near oil, adjacent to both USSR and Afghanistan), intense anti-Americanism, and ongoing war with Iraq, then supported by the US. North Korea was and is technically still at war with the US and South Korea, led by an erratic dictator, dirt poor, with a big army which had been in a shooting war with US forces a generation earlier, adjacent to rising powers Japan and China. It wouldn’t have taken much imagination to see these as potential triggers for a third world war — more likely than Gabon, say, or Chad. They wouldn’t have to have been proxies either; any rash adventurism by Iran or North Korea could have had knock-on effects throughout their respective regions, which the USSR could have used as cover for some other action (like invading Hungary while the rest of the world was preoccupied with the Suez crisis).

The real point is that not a whole lot of thought went into these scenarios. Some — not much.

]]> By: name http://airminded.org/2008/08/07/a-strange-game/comment-page-1/#comment-106145 name Fri, 29 May 2009 20:42:47 +0000 http://airminded.org/?p=537#comment-106145 If you hadn't run across it, a game was produced that pleasantly recreates the WARGAMES experience, called DEFCON. Free demo out there somewhere. You noted that Iran and DPRK were underrepresented. Anyone in those days suggesting Iran or DPRK could be a threat on their own would have been laughed at (and often times are still laughed at depending on the political venue). Mostly the concern was war between NATO and WARSAW PACT via proxy (Afganistan and Vietnam being classic examples) running out of control to the point where nuclear exchanges began. Indeed, LBJ exploited fear of exactly that in his attack ads on Barry Goldwater. If you hadn’t run across it, a game was produced that pleasantly recreates the WARGAMES experience, called DEFCON. Free demo out there somewhere.

You noted that Iran and DPRK were underrepresented. Anyone in those days suggesting Iran or DPRK could be a threat on their own would have been laughed at (and often times are still laughed at depending on the political venue). Mostly the concern was war between NATO and WARSAW PACT via proxy (Afganistan and Vietnam being classic examples) running out of control to the point where nuclear exchanges began. Indeed, LBJ exploited fear of exactly that in his attack ads on Barry Goldwater.

]]> By: Brett Holman http://airminded.org/2008/08/07/a-strange-game/comment-page-1/#comment-80500 Brett Holman Fri, 08 Aug 2008 05:47:11 +0000 http://airminded.org/?p=537#comment-80500 That's hilarious, Ian! They really were the good old days. Then again, how many oil rigs did we lose to subversives smuggling plastic explosive under their fingernails? None! Obviously the paranoia was justified, because the increased vigilance stopped the attacks taking place ... That’s hilarious, Ian! They really were the good old days.

Then again, how many oil rigs did we lose to subversives smuggling plastic explosive under their fingernails? None! Obviously the paranoia was justified, because the increased vigilance stopped the attacks taking place …

]]> By: Ian Evans http://airminded.org/2008/08/07/a-strange-game/comment-page-1/#comment-80378 Ian Evans Thu, 07 Aug 2008 12:13:39 +0000 http://airminded.org/?p=537#comment-80378 Ah, the Good Old Days! "The problem with Europe is that the towns are only 20 kilotons apart" Then there was the drilling rig security "expert" who assured us he'd seen the Top Secret CIA list of likely dates for Commie Atrocities, and if we had seen it, we too would be terrified. From the carefully tailored bits he let slip, it seemed to consist of; Karl Marx's birthday; Karl Marx's mum's birthday; Karl Marx's dad's birthday, Karl Marx's second-cousin-twice-removed's birthday.... and so on through every well known left wing figure you can think of. I lost brownie points, an absolute pleasure, by asking if the English football fixtures were included. (It's terrorism Jim, but not as we know it). Another expert advised us to take precautions against subversives smuggling plastic explosive on the rigs, cunningly concealed beneath their fingernails. Working patterns then were 2 weeks on; two off - there would have been many more timeous ways to damage a rig. Ah, the Good Old Days!
“The problem with Europe is that the towns are only 20 kilotons apart”
Then there was the drilling rig security “expert” who assured us he’d seen the Top Secret CIA list of likely dates for Commie Atrocities, and if we had seen it, we too would be terrified. From the carefully tailored bits he let slip, it seemed to consist of; Karl Marx’s birthday; Karl Marx’s mum’s birthday; Karl Marx’s dad’s birthday, Karl Marx’s second-cousin-twice-removed’s birthday…. and so on through every well known left wing figure you can think of. I lost brownie points, an absolute pleasure, by asking if the English football fixtures were included. (It’s terrorism Jim, but not as we know it).
Another expert advised us to take precautions against subversives smuggling plastic explosive on the rigs, cunningly concealed beneath their fingernails. Working patterns then were 2 weeks on; two off – there would have been many more timeous ways to damage a rig.

]]> By: Jakob http://airminded.org/2008/08/07/a-strange-game/comment-page-1/#comment-80366 Jakob Thu, 07 Aug 2008 11:15:22 +0000 http://airminded.org/?p=537#comment-80366 DENMARK MASSIVE is obviously referring to a turn-away from European social democracy to a rampaging horde demanding Danegeld... DENMARK MASSIVE is obviously referring to a turn-away from European social democracy to a rampaging horde demanding Danegeld…

]]> By: Alex http://airminded.org/2008/08/07/a-strange-game/comment-page-1/#comment-80365 Alex Thu, 07 Aug 2008 11:13:01 +0000 http://airminded.org/?p=537#comment-80365 Somebody had a list of countries and a list of modifiers... Somebody had a list of countries and a list of modifiers…

]]> By: Gavin http://airminded.org/2008/08/07/a-strange-game/comment-page-1/#comment-80360 Gavin Thu, 07 Aug 2008 10:47:19 +0000 http://airminded.org/?p=537#comment-80360 The US government seems to have had some bizarre paranoid delusions about Jamaica, mainly because Michael Manley was a socialist (not a communist but the distinction was lost on the CIA) and was quite friendly with Castro. The US government seems to have had some bizarre paranoid delusions about Jamaica, mainly because Michael Manley was a socialist (not a communist but the distinction was lost on the CIA) and was quite friendly with Castro.

]]> By: Brett Holman http://airminded.org/2008/08/07/a-strange-game/comment-page-1/#comment-80334 Brett Holman Thu, 07 Aug 2008 06:30:55 +0000 http://airminded.org/?p=537#comment-80334 <blockquote>No French Mistake?</blockquote> I think it's one of the small tragedies of global thermonuclear warfare that there's no time for French Mistakes.

No French Mistake?

I think it’s one of the small tragedies of global thermonuclear warfare that there’s no time for French Mistakes.

]]> By: Liam http://airminded.org/2008/08/07/a-strange-game/comment-page-1/#comment-80304 Liam Thu, 07 Aug 2008 04:12:27 +0000 http://airminded.org/?p=537#comment-80304 Awesome, Brett. <blockquote>SUDAN SURPRISE</blockquote> No French Mistake? Awesome, Brett.

SUDAN SURPRISE

No French Mistake?

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