Date
October 15, 1958
Document
- Link to external site (www.rand.org)
Description
RAND Research Memorandum RM-2251, “On the Risk of an Accidental or Unauthorized Nuclear Detonation,” by Fred Charles Iklé, is considered a key document in the history of nuclear safety, surety research, and regulation in the United States. At the time of its writing, the memorandum was part of a broader discussion on the threat of nuclear detonations. Specifically, the memorandum proposes the use of “locks” on weapons themselves, along with increased use of environmental sensors that prevent a weapon from firing unless a warhead can detect nuclear use has been formally authorized.
Commentary
Citation
Fred C. Iklé, “On the Risk of an Accidental or Unauthorized Nuclear Detonation,” RAND Research Memorandum RM-2251 (15 October 1958).
Provenance
From the RAND Corporation.
Topics
Document entry started by Alex Wellerstein on May 15, 2018. Entry last updated by Mikael Kelly on October 15, 2018.
Note that the posted version has been “sanitized” for release by the Ronald Reagan Library, National Archives and Records Administration.