Command and Control: Nuclear Weapons, the Damascus Accident, and the Illusion of Safety

Host Kathleen Stephenson speaks with investigative journalist Eric Schlosser, who talks about his new book Command and Control: Nuclear Weapons, the Damascus Accident, and the Illusion of Safety, a ground-breaking account of accidents, near-misses, extraordinary heroism, and technological breakthroughs in America's nuclear arsenal system. Schlosser discusses how the combination of human fallibility and technological complexity in the nuclear area still poses a grave risk to mankind.  

The Damascus accident occurred at a nuclear missile silo in rural Arkansas. Schlosser chronicles the struggle, amid the rolling hills and small farms of Damascus, Arkansas, to prevent the explosion of a ballistic missile carrying the most powerful nuclear warhead ever built by the United States.   

Eric Schlosser is the author of Fast Food Nation, Reefer Madness, and Chew on This. He has written for many publications including Rolling Stone, The Atlantic Monthly and The New Yorkerand has recieved a number of journalism honors, including a National Magazine Award.