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Imperial War Museums –United KingdomAmerican Air Museum

Duxford, CambridgeshireMarch 2016

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Imperial War Museums –Duxford, United Kingdom

• Newly opened exhibits at American Air Museum featured people & aircraft from World War II (1941-1945) & the Cold War (1947–91)

• Pre-grand opening for the press, VIPs, & museum donors occurred March 16-18, 2016

• Honored guests & visitors included HRH, the Duke of Kent, Air Chief Marshall Sir Stuart Peach & Ross Perot Jr.

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Nuclear Weapons-1• Nuclear weapons changed the way the American

government thought about conflict. Their huge destructive power made them dangerous to possess, as well as to use

• In the 1940s & 1950s a theory of ‘massive retaliation’ was developed by US leaders. It was hoped that the threat of powerful nuclear weapons would deter anyone from attacking America or its allies

• This made the United States Air Force, which was formed in 1947, a vital part of America’s defense forces

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Nuclear Weapons-2

• Giant B-52 bombers formed the core of the US Air Force’s Strategic Air Command (SAC) from the mid-1950s

• Their primary job was to be ready, on the orders of the President, to carry nuclear weapons to targets in Russia

• From 1958–1968, nuclear-armed B-52s were in the air at all times

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Nuclear Weapons-3• Throughout the Cold War, America wrestled with

how best to manage its nuclear weapons stockpile• Note: ReVelle was a Nuclear Operations Officer in

the Stockpile Management Division of the Defense Atomic Support Agency (DASA) in the Pentagon from 1967 to 1968

• The stockpile had to be ready to use at a moment’s notice, & yet be safe enough that they could not be detonated by mistake

• Not only could an accident kill 1000s of people, it might also be interpreted as a nuclear attack & begin a war

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Nuclear Weapons-4

• Accidents such as the 1961 crash of a nuclear-armed B-52 at Goldsboro, North Carolina, influenced the approach both sides took to maintaining nuclear weapons

• “A nuclear explosion would have completely changed the Eastern seaboard if it had gone off,” said Jack ReVelle, who was sent to Goldsboro to defuse the nuclear bombs

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Nuclear Weapons-5

• Later, the permanent B-52 patrols were stopped, as America & the Soviet Union agreed to tell each other immediately if a nuclear accident happened

• Safety systems were continually improved, as American & Soviet leaders began to discuss how best to reduce the number of nuclear weapons they each possessed

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He Was Sent To Defuse A Nuclear Bomb-1

• Jack ReVelle was an Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) officer in the US Air Force

• He had to respond to 2 nuclear accidents in his career, known as ‘Broken Arrows.’ On both occasions, 1 mistake could have led to disaster

• At Goldsboro, he led the team that recovered & made safe the damaged nuclear weapons that had fallen from a crashing B-52

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He Was Sent To Defuse A Nuclear Bomb-2

• ‘Until my death I will never forget hearing my sergeant say, “Lieutenant, we found the arm/safe switch.” And I said, “Great.” He said, “Not great. It’s on arm.”’

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He Was Sent To Defuse A Nuclear Bomb-3

• Later in the Summer of 1962, Jack witnessed over 2 dozen nuclear test explosions over Christmas Island in the Pacific

• ‘It was always first thing in the morning, just before dawn’s early light... they would have us all turn around with our backs to the weapon... & then you hear the “kaboom!” like nothing you’ve ever heard before’

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He Was Sent To Defuse A Nuclear Bomb-4

• Jack ReVelle prepares for a training flight• In 1961 he flew to the site of the nuclear

accident at Goldsboro, North Carolina: There was a pilot with a T-33, & he says “Well you must be pretty important ‘cause I’ve never been cleared on the ground before I even got in my aircraft to take off.”

• I said, “Yeah, it’s important.”’

ReVelle Preparing for T-33 Flight

 Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star

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Any questions?