Emergency War Plan

Updated on Nov 11, 2023

Edit

Comment

Emergency War Plan refers to a nation's policy for after an emergency such as an outbreak of war or a natural disaster.

United States

The "Halfmoon" Joint Emergency War Plan prepared after the 1948 Bikini Atoll nuclear tests, proposed dropping 50 atomic bombs on 20 Soviet cities, and President Harry S. Truman approved "Halfmoon" during the June 1948 Berlin Blockade (Truman sent B-29s to Europe in July).

Emergency War Plan 1–49 was created by Strategic Air Command for delivering 133 atomic bombs, "the entire stockpile…in a single massive attack" on 70 Soviet cities over 30 days. According to Command and Control: Nuclear Weapons, the Damascus Accident, and the Illusion of Safety by Eric Schlosser, seven atomic bombs were to be used on Leningrad, and eight were to be used on Moscow.

References

Emergency War Plan Wikipedia

(Text) CC BY-SA