Atomic Hobo - Nuclear War Podcast

A different episode from the usual: this is Part One of the Prologue from my second book, NUCLEAR FEAR. Unfortunately, it cannot find a publisher. NUCLEAR FEAR was to be a book about the pop culture inspired by the bomb and our fear of nuclear war. I wonder should I ditch it? No publisher wants it, but do nuclear nerds want it? Over on my Patreon page some have suggested crowdfunding to publish it myself. Well, listen to the Prologue and let me know what you think. This is Part One, and I'll upload the second part tomorrow.Remember you can get ad-free listening and bonus episodes, and join our nuclear book club, THE DOOMSDAY LIBRARY, on my Patreon at www.patreon.com/atomichobo Thank you,Julie

Two nuclear crises hit in the early 60s: the Berlin Crisis in '61, then Cuba in '62. How did the good people of North Carolina react?In other news, I'm launching a nuclear book club called The Doomsday Library. Here's a video, open to all, showing how it works. If the link doesn't work, visit my Patreon page at www.patreon.com/atomichobo I hope you'll join us: https://www.patreon.com/posts/join-our-library-152470538?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link

What happened on a Norfolk air base in 1958 when an American threatened to k1ll himself by firing a gun into an atomic bomb? My thanks to the Conelrad6401240 YouTube/Twitter account for alerting me to this story, and for uploading the associated documentary, 'Something Foolish With A Pistol'. Get ad-free episodes, plus bonus episodes, for £3 a month here www.patreon.com/atomichoboThank you,Julie

The Soviet youth organisation, the Komsomol, and how it prepared the young for nuclear war with "predators from the imperialist jungle", as Khrushchev nicely put it.I quote from THE WHISPERERS: PRIVATE LIFE IN STALIN'S RUSSIA by Orlando Figes.Get ad-free access to all episodes, plus bonus episodes, here www.patreon.com/atomichoboJulie

Americans in the early 50s were told there was a "civil defence gap", and that the Soviets were superior in protecting their population? Was this true? As mentioned in the pod, I quote from two academic articles. They are:'Soviet Civil Defence: The Mineshaft Gap Revisited' by Josh M Weinstein, Arms Control Today, Vol 12, No 7, August 1982'Was There A Real Mineshaft Gap?' by Edward Geist, Journal of Cold War Studies, Vol 14, No 2, Spring 2012And you can get ad-free access to the whole archive, plus all bonus episodes, if you join my Patreon here: www.patreon.com/atomichoboJulie

Why is America so interested in Greenland? What was its role in nuclear attack and early warning? And what happened when a huge B52 bomber carrying a bunch of hydrogen bombs crashed into the ice up there?There's a bonus pod which accompanies this episode. You can grab it here, and get ad-free listening for the whole pod archive, at www.patreon.com/atomichobo The reading list for these Thule episodes is below:Fifteen Minutes: General Curtis LeMay and the Countdown to Nuclear Annihilation, by L. Douglas KeeneyCommand and Control by Eric SchlosserProject Crested Ice: The Thule Nuclear Accident (SAC Historical Study)'Greenland and its Relevance to North American Security', Naval War College Review, Vol 32, No. 6

How would Harold Macmillan have ordered nuclear retaliation?Join us at www.patreon.com/atomichobo for ad-free listening and bonus episodes.The books and articles I used in this episode are listed below:The Secret State by Peter HennessyWinds of Change by Peter HennessyThe Prime Minister: The Office and its Holders Since 1945 by Peter HennessyCabinet by Peter HennessySupermac: The Life of Harold Macmillan by D.R. ThorpePlanning Armageddon: Britain, the United States and the Command of Western Nuclear Forces, 1945-1964, by Len Scott, Robert Twigge et al.'A Matter of Joint Decision': The Origins of British Nuclear Retaliation Procedures and the Murphy-Dean Agreement of 1958, by Matthew Jones in the English Historical Review

Thor is here! In 1958, the American Thor missiles arrive in the east of England, creating a headache for the authorities, and pain for those who protested their arrival and found themselves thrown into wet concrete, pelted with rotten fruit, and dragged around by the hair. Remember you can get ad-free access and bonus episodes by joining my Patreon for just £3 a month here: www.patreon.com/atomichobo Thank you! Julie

Supermac becomes Prime Minister in January 1957, a bumper year for nuclear matters! To get ad-free listening and extra episodes join us at www.patreon.com/atomichobo