National Archives and Records Administration has released a detailed 1950s U.S. Nuclear Target List

so 1100!! airfields where targeted and all major population areas. scary stuff.

would be interessting to see if the russians would release the same thing.

I have seen a white paper that detailed the Soviet primary-secondary-tertiary listing. Of note, after primary and secondary targeted sites were obliterated, tertiary targets included population centers of around 60,000.

Thus, both countries were infact targeting population centers, as sites of manufacturing capablility, of war material. I'll see if I can find it to post here.

Reading your article, and digging into the source material, I was very surprised to read of the direction Teller waas taking things.

GIGATON and even TERATON weapons. World killers. Big enough to crack the crust of the Earth, and punch holes from the surface completely thru the atmosphere, 60+ miles high. Consider for a moment the effects of such a device. The literature, describes it as a single bomb able to instantly vaporise the whole of New England, or the whole of France, the whole of California instantly set ablaze. The fallout would have contaminated the entire Earth withn a matter of a very few days. Chilling. Only President Ike stopped this--placing a limit on the size of three stage thermonuclear designs at 19 MT. the USSR later in the 50's was able to detonate a 50MT device, and of note, it was only "dialed in" for 1/2 the yield--it was capable of 100MT. A very fearful explosion.

Great article, TY for posting it.

Last Edited by Bodiless on 12/23/2015 10:52 AM

Np. This article gives us a good view of the mindset from our leaders at that time it shows us how far they where willing to go for a "final" victory if it would ever come to that (and luckely it didn't and hope never will).