Process
Take notes on the answers to the following questions. Use the links provided to find the answers.
Use this link to answer questions 1-6:
1. Is there a literal "nuclear button"?
2. Which President is the only President to use nuclear weapons?
3. In World War II, President Truman did not explicitly order the dropping of the bomb. What happened instead?
4. In the early months of the Korean War, what caused the White House to issue a statement that only the President could authorize the use of nuclear weapons?
5. Why did President Eisenhower empower certain military officials to order a nuclear attack without the direct consent of the President?
6. Which presidential administration created organizational systems for the use of nuclear weapons that is still in use today?
Use this link to answer question 7:
7. What steps does the President today need to take in order to launch a nuclear weapon?
Presidential Nuclear Authority Short Essay
Read the following two articles and then use a separate sheet of paper to respond to the short essay prompt.
Time to Restrict the President's Power to Wage Nuclear War
We Have Enough Checks on the President's Power to Order a Nuclear Strike
Essay Prompt: Based on the two articles you have just read, do you believe that Presidential Nuclear Authority needs to be restricted? Why or Why not? (Be sure to give at least two reasons why or why not)