On the really interest-piquing and enthusiastic blog, known as Today I Found Out, there is thoughtful article on the story, which has been circulating like an urban-legend, regarding the what would not be considered a strong-password associated with the so-called Football, the nuclear launch device that the US president keeps on his person at all times.
At the height of the Cold War, with the world on edge, President Kennedy mandated that all nuclear missiles be fitted with a fail-safe device that could be operated remotely by the right level of authority, in order to prevent America's huge nuclear arsenal from falling under control of enemy hands and to put a stumbling-block before a potentially rogue commander, as the isolated silos enjoyed a significant amount of autonomy and it would only take one loon with an itchy trigger-finger to start World War III. Military leaders saw these counter-measures as emasculating and gave themselves a back-door by resetting the codes to 00000000. Missiliers were able to override any order to stand-down or simply initiate a count-down for decades until this story first broke in 2004. Security theatre has certainly evolved but seems it is nothing new. Be sure to check out the website for more synaptic tales.
