A former U.S. Air Force airman has come forward with new revelations on how eight launch control centers in Okinawa were given orders to launch their nuclear-armed MGM-13 cruise missiles on Oct. 28, 1962.
By United States Air Force [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
John Bordne was at the launch control center together with the senior field officer, Capt. William Bassett, when they received instructions to launch 32 missiles while at the state of Defense Readiness Condition 2 (DEFCON2).
Bassett was suspicious of the orders as they are not in DEFCON1 and some of the targets to be struck were non-Russian. At one point, a lieutenant at a launch control center decided to override Bassett’s authority and launch those missiles.
Luckily, disaster was adverted after Bassett confronted the commanding major at the Missile Operations Center on Okinawa and a coded launch stand-down order was issued.
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