Page 37 - 200802 - The 'X' Chronicles Newspaper - February 2008

Suggested Reading 37 Suggested Reading 37 The Whiteman Scenario and training programs for the cream of the The Whiteman Scenario Fortune 100, Steve has been active in all forms of media; television, radio, print, and live stage events. He left corporate America for a while to become the producer/director for the critically acclaimed "Man Enough" off-Broadway, in New York. Most recently he co-wrote and directed the award winning motion picture "I Flunked Sunday School." [] by Steve McCudry Price: $24.95 Website: http://www.thewhitemanscenario.com 304 Pages, Hardback, 6 x 9 ISBN-13: 978-0-09-761179-2 On the eve of the Nixon resignation, the Soviet Union took an action that elevated the Strategic Air Command and the North American Air Defense Command to just short of full combat alert status. Under "normal circumstances", there would have been a direct escalation of responses on both sides that would have taken us to nuclear launch. On this evening, though, there was an uncharacteristic hesitation on the part of normally hawkish US leadership. The book speculates that the hesitation was a reluctance to break an iron clad "do not disturb" order from the president who was entrenched with Republican leadership exploring the options of his future. This reluctance, it suggests, was fear that the event could have a rational explanation that would disappear into a conflagration of nuclear exchanges if Nixon, in his depressed and panicked state, interpreted the event as an attack (and a way out of the Watergate debacle.) The actions and sacrifice of an observant off-duty missile launch officer convince the Joint Chiefs and SAC commanders to back down from an immanent launch. About The Author Steve McCurdy worked his way through college as a radio announcer and bank teller. Four months after receiving his degree and his commission as a Second Lieutenant in the Air Force he found himself second in command of ten nuclear ICBMs. Eighteen months after that he was at the cross roads of what might have become World War III. "The events in the book were classified for a long time-even for a while after they decommissioned Whiteman's missiles and took half of our Minuteman force out nationwide. So, I've been sitting on this for a long time. I'm glad to have a chance to get the story told."• Steve may have been sitting on this story, but he hasn't been sitting on his hands. The creator of hundreds of marketing