Page "belles_lettres" Paragraph 42

Only the President is permitted to authorize the use of nuclear weapons.

That's the law.

But what if somebody decides to break it??

The President cannot personally remove the safety devices from every nuclear trigger.

He makes the momentous decision.

Hundreds of men are required to pass the word to the button pushers and to push the buttons.

What if one or more of them turn irrational or suddenly, coolly, decide to clobber the Russians??

What if the President himself, in the language of the military, `` goes ape ''??

Or singlehandedly decided to reverse national policy and hit the Soviets without provocation??