Hacker News Reader

It is bizarre because what is the point in having a secret instruction to a submarine captain when his home country is completely and utterly destroyed by nukes. Consider that everyone that could possibly benefit from such an instruction are no longer in existence.

View on HN

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mutual_assured_destruction

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fail-deadly

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_Hand_(nuclear_war)

Right, but the actual mechanism of the secret-message-in-a-safe-in-a-safe makes no difference to the well-known game theory of nuclear retaliation. That is what makes it an odd practice. No other country does this because it serves no purpose.

Perhaps not - but I rather like the idea of four personal hand written notes in our four missile subs, which are hopefully never opened and destroyed when the PM changes.

I rather hope they say "Don't fire your missiles at anyone, you will just make things worse".

The point is to have the Prime Minister sit down and think about it and resolve to avoid such a situation. I thought Ira Glass missed this is as the most likely reason to have someone go through this exercise.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com