1950s U.S. Nuclear Target List Offers Chilling Insight
WASHINGTON
— Target category No. 275 from the nuclear target list for 1959 may be
the most chilling. It is called simply “Population.”
— Target category No. 275 from the nuclear target list for 1959 may be
the most chilling. It is called simply “Population.”
For the first time, the National Archives and Records Administration has released a detailed list
of the United States’ potential targets for atomic bombers in the event
of war with the Soviet Union, showing the number and the variety of
targets on its territory, as well as in Eastern Europe and China.
of the United States’ potential targets for atomic bombers in the event
of war with the Soviet Union, showing the number and the variety of
targets on its territory, as well as in Eastern Europe and China.
It
lists many targets for “systematic destruction” in major cities,
including 179 in Moscow (like “Agricultural Equipment” and
“Transformers, Heavy”), 145 in Leningrad and 91 in East Berlin. The
targets are referred to as DGZs or “designated ground zeros.” While many
are industrial facilities, government buildings and the like, one for
each city is simply designated “Population.”
lists many targets for “systematic destruction” in major cities,
including 179 in Moscow (like “Agricultural Equipment” and
“Transformers, Heavy”), 145 in Leningrad and 91 in East Berlin. The
targets are referred to as DGZs or “designated ground zeros.” While many
are industrial facilities, government buildings and the like, one for
each city is simply designated “Population.”
“It’s disturbing, for sure, to see the population centers targeted,” said William Burr, a senior analyst at the National Security Archive,
a research group at George Washington University that obtained the
target list in response to a request first made in 2006. Mr. Burr, who
specializes in nuclear history, said he believed it was the most
detailed target list the Air Force had ever made public.
a research group at George Washington University that obtained the
target list in response to a request first made in 2006. Mr. Burr, who
specializes in nuclear history, said he believed it was the most
detailed target list the Air Force had ever made public.
The
targets are identified only generically, with code numbers that
correspond to specific locations. The exact addresses and names of
facilities from that period are in a still-classified “Bombing
Encyclopedia,” which Mr. Burr said he was trying to get declassified.
targets are identified only generically, with code numbers that
correspond to specific locations. The exact addresses and names of
facilities from that period are in a still-classified “Bombing
Encyclopedia,” which Mr. Burr said he was trying to get declassified.
