false 6362836 1 In <b>The Day We Lost the H-Bomb</b>, science writer Barbara Moran marshals a wealth of new information and recently declassified material to give the definitive account of the Cold War’s biggest nuclear weapons disaster. On January 17, 1966, a U.S. Air Force B-52 bomber exploded over the sleepy Spanish farming village of Palomares during a routine airborne refueling. The explosion killed seven airmen and scattered the bomber’s payload–four unarmed thermonuclear bombs–across miles of coastline. Three of the rogue H-bombs were recovered quickly. Tracking down the fourth required the largest search-and-salvage operation in U.S. military history.<br><br>Moran traces the roots of the Palomares incident, giving a brief yet in-depth history of the Strategic Air Command and its eccentric, larger-than-life commander, General Curtis LeMay, whose massive deterrence strategy kept armed U.S. bombers aloft at all times. Back on the ground, Moran recounts the myriad social and environmental effects of an accident that spread radioactive debris over hundreds of acres of Spanish farmland, alarmed America’s strategic allies, and damaged Spanish-American diplomatic relations.<br><br>As the American military floundered in its attempt to keep the story secret, the events in Spain sometimes took on farcical overtones. Constant global media hype was fueled by the hit James Bond movie Thunderball, with its plot about an atomic weapon lost at sea. In addition, there were the unwanted attentions of a rusty- hulled Soviet surveillance ship and even awkward public relations stunts, complete with American diplomats in swim trunks. <br><br><b>The Day We Lost the H-Bomb </b>is a singular work of military history that effortlessly and dramatically captures Cold War hysteria, high-stakes negotiations, and the race to clean up a disaster of unprecedented scope. At once epic and intimate, this book recounts in stunning detail the fragile peace Americans had made with nuclear weapons–and how the specter of imminent doom forced the United States to consider not only what had happened over Palomares but what could have happened. This forgotten chapter of Cold War history will grip readers with the tension of that time and reawaken the fears and hopes of that dangerous era. 6549966 28 4 2009 The Day We Lost the H-Bomb: Cold War, Hot Nukes, and the Worst Nuclear Weapons Disaster in History total:3|4:1|3:1|2:1| 3 9 17 3 4 0 false false Wed Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu Jul 16 12:12:14 -0700 2009 Thu Jul 16 12:17:49 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Mon Aug 31 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Jul 31 15:27:01 -0700 2009 Wed Sep 02 18:08:09 -0700 2009 more...]]> 2 0 false false Sat Jun 20 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Jul 15 09:11:12 -0700 2009 Wed Jul 15 09:12:11 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Wed Oct 28 17:27:44 -0700 2009 Wed Oct 28 17:27:44 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Wed Aug 12 19:51:16 -0700 2009 Wed Aug 12 19:51:16 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Thu Jul 16 22:06:50 -0700 2009 Thu Jul 16 22:06:50 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Sun Jul 05 11:11:03 -0700 2009 Sun Jul 05 11:11:03 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Tue Jun 02 14:56:54 -0700 2009 Tue Jun 02 14:56:54 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Mon Apr 27 13:25:03 -0700 2009 Mon Apr 27 13:25:03 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Mon Apr 27 09:17:25 -0700 2009 Mon Apr 27 09:17:25 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Tue Apr 21 09:58:13 -0700 2009 Tue Apr 21 09:58:13 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Mon Apr 20 19:17:08 -0700 2009 Mon Apr 20 19:17:08 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Sun Apr 19 23:12:48 -0700 2009 Sun Apr 19 23:12:48 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Sat Apr 18 19:18:43 -0700 2009 Sat Apr 18 19:18:43 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Mon Apr 06 13:35:32 -0700 2009 Mon Apr 06 13:35:32 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Sun Apr 05 20:32:58 -0700 2009 Sun Apr 05 20:32:58 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Thu Apr 02 06:10:33 -0700 2009 Thu Apr 02 06:10:44 -0700 2009 http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=6362836