Atomic Hobo - Nuclear War Podcast

Hard Rock in 1982 would've been the biggest nuclear war planning exercise in Britain for years - but the government were forced to cancel it, and anti-nuclear campaigners reacted with glee! What happened? See the SOLACE report, and get ad-free listening, on Patreon at www.patreon.com/atomichobo Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our nuclear book club has now started on Patreon, and the first video is free to view. You can watch it at www.patreon.com/atomichobo The first book was THE CHRYSALIDS but the second one, to be discussed in July, is ALAS BABYLON which is set in 1950s Florida, and so I thought we'd have a podcast episode looking at the local newspaper archives for Florida in that era. If you think of Florida as sun...

How does a "pal" stop an "individual psychotic" from launching a nuke? JFK had the answer. To get ad-free access, and bonus episodes, visit www.patreon.com/atomichobo Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Eisenhower introduced three big nuclear changes which overturned Truman's policies on presidential sole authority. To get ad-free access, plus extra episodes, consider joining my Patreon at www.patreon.com/atomichobo Thank you, Julie Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

More on Truman and sole presidential authority, and why did Curtis LeMay say he would refuse to be 'fat, dumb and happy' if America got nuked? As with last week's episode on Truman, I must acknowledge the brilliant new book by Alex Wellerstein called The Most Awful Responsibility. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jim finally accepts how dire their situation is. To get ad-free listening and bonus episodes, join us on Patreon at www.patreon.com/atomichobo Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

First in a new series looking at presidential sole authority to "press the button", and what each President has done with that authority. First up is Truman, obviously, and the lesson for the military seems to be: don't mess with Harry! To get ad-free listening and bonus episodes on your own private pod feed, join us at www.patreon.com/atomichobo Julie Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for mo...

Oh dear, it's starting to get really grim! To get ad-free listening, plus bonus epiosdes, join us at www.patreon.com/atomichobo Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How do you protect the written word from the bomb? Using salt mines and shadow libraries and iron mountains! To get ad-free listening join my Patreon at www.patreon.com/atomichobo Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Overkill, megadeath and a single Fruit Pastille. We approach the dreadful end. For ad-free listening, join me on Patreon at www.patreon.com/atomichobo Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Here is the second part of the Prologue to NUCLEAR FEAR, my book on nuclear pop culture which can't find a publisher. Should I self-publish? Are there enough nuclear nerds out there to make it viable? You can get ad-free listening plus bonus episodes at www.patreon.com/atomichobo Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A different episode from the usual: this is Part One of the Prologue from my second book, NUCLEAR FEAR. Unfortunately, it cannot find a publisher. NUCLEAR FEAR was to be a book about the pop culture inspired by the bomb and our fear of nuclear war. I wonder should I ditch it? No publisher wants it, but do nuclear nerds want it? Over on my Patreon page some have suggested crowdfunding to publish it...

Two nuclear crises hit in the early 60s: the Berlin Crisis in '61, then Cuba in '62. How did the good people of North Carolina react? In other news, I'm launching a nuclear book club called The Doomsday Library . Here's a video, open to all, showing how it works. If the link doesn't work, visit my Patreon page at www.patreon.com/atomichobo I hope you'll join us: https://www.patreon.com/posts/join-...

What happened on a Norfolk air base in 1958 when an American threatened to k1ll himself by firing a gun into an atomic bomb? My thanks to the Conelrad6401240 YouTube/Twitter account for alerting me to this story, and for uploading the associated documentary, 'Something Foolish With A Pistol'. Get ad-free episodes, plus bonus episodes, for £3 a month here www.patreon.com/atomichobo Thank you, Julie...

The Soviet youth organisation, the Komsomol, and how it prepared the young for nuclear war with "predators from the imperialist jungle", as Khrushchev nicely put it. I quote from THE WHISPERERS: PRIVATE LIFE IN STALIN'S RUSSIA by Orlando Figes. Get ad-free access to all episodes, plus bonus episodes, here www.patreon.com/atomichobo Julie Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Americans in the early 50s were told there was a "civil defence gap", and that the Soviets were superior in protecting their population? Was this true? As mentioned in the pod, I quote from two academic articles. They are: 'Soviet Civil Defence: The Mineshaft Gap Revisited' by Josh M Weinstein, Arms Control Today, Vol 12, No 7, August 1982 'Was There A Real Mineshaft Gap?' by Edward Geist, Journal...

Why is America so interested in Greenland? What was its role in nuclear attack and early warning? And what happened when a huge B52 bomber carrying a bunch of hydrogen bombs crashed into the ice up there? There's a bonus pod which accompanies this episode. You can grab it here, and get ad-free listening for the whole pod archive, at www.patreon.com/atomichobo The reading list for these Thule episo...

How would Harold Macmillan have ordered nuclear retaliation? Join us at www.patreon.com/atomichobo for ad-free listening and bonus episodes. The books and articles I used in this episode are listed below: The Secret State by Peter Hennessy Winds of Change by Peter Hennessy The Prime Minister: The Office and its Holders Since 1945 by Peter Hennessy Cabinet by Peter Hennessy Supermac: The Life of Ha...

Thor is here! In 1958, the American Thor missiles arrive in the east of England, creating a headache for the authorities, and pain for those who protested their arrival and found themselves thrown into wet concrete, pelted with rotten fruit, and dragged around by the hair. Remember you can get ad-free access and bonus episodes by joining my Patreon for just £3 a month here: www.patreon.com/atomich...

Supermac becomes Prime Minister in January 1957, a bumper year for nuclear matters! To get ad-free listening and extra episodes join us at www.patreon.com/atomichobo Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A new series on former Prime Minister Harold Macmillan, a man born in the Victorian era who led Britain into her thermonuclear age and through the Cuban Missile Crisis. This episode starts with his horrible experiences in the trenches and takes us up to his 1954 appointment as Defence Secretary, but we take in Greek tragedy, adultery, plane crashes and a bit of Ronnie Kray on the way. To get AD-FR...

To get ad-free listening, plus bonus episodes, visit www.patreon.com/atomichobo This week, Jim retreats into daydreams, and Hilda dishes out hard truths at the kitchen sink. Which one is best equipped to face the coming horror: the dreamer or the realist? PS I left one of my puppy's snores in the recording as it was cute. I used to sometimes do this with Bomba's snores, so here is one of Gadget's....

To get ad-free access, plus bonus episodes, please visit www.patreon.com/atomichobo Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The chart-topping 1983 hit about nuclear war - even though the band insisted it was no such thing! To get ad-free episodes, plus bonus episodes, please visit www.patreon.com/atomichobo Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lions and tigers and bears? Oh my! We see that everything becomes a threat after nuclear war. And what is that strange scent hanging in the air? Also, a new BONUS EPISODE has been released for patrons, this one about Ronald Reagan and the biblical prophecy of Armageddon. Did Reagan believe it? Did he think the end of the world, in the form of nuclear war, was inevitable? Join us for £3 a month and...