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A review by kit_fox
As the Last I May Know by S.L. Huang
4.0
This story is available to read free online:
https://www.tor.com/2019/10/23/as-the-last-i-may-know-s-l-huang/
A fairly straightforward exploration of Roger Fisher's nuclear deterrence proposal, but it's well done.
Fisher wrote, in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, March 1981:
"My suggestion was quite simple: Put that needed code number in a little capsule, and then implant that capsule right next to the heart of a volunteer. The volunteer would carry with him a big, heavy butcher knife as he accompanied the President. If ever the President wanted to fire nuclear weapons, the only way he could do so would be for him first, with his own hands, to kill one human being. The President says, "George, I'm sorry but tens of millions must die." He has to look at someone and realize what death is—what an innocent death is. Blood on the White House carpet. It's reality brought home.
"When I suggested this to friends in the Pentagon they said, "My God, that's terrible. Having to kill someone would distort the President's judgment. He might never push the button.""
https://www.tor.com/2019/10/23/as-the-last-i-may-know-s-l-huang/
A fairly straightforward exploration of Roger Fisher's nuclear deterrence proposal, but it's well done.
Fisher wrote, in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, March 1981:
"My suggestion was quite simple: Put that needed code number in a little capsule, and then implant that capsule right next to the heart of a volunteer. The volunteer would carry with him a big, heavy butcher knife as he accompanied the President. If ever the President wanted to fire nuclear weapons, the only way he could do so would be for him first, with his own hands, to kill one human being. The President says, "George, I'm sorry but tens of millions must die." He has to look at someone and realize what death is—what an innocent death is. Blood on the White House carpet. It's reality brought home.
"When I suggested this to friends in the Pentagon they said, "My God, that's terrible. Having to kill someone would distort the President's judgment. He might never push the button.""