Building of the Doomsday Machine - Essay Example

The planned Doomsday device made from “Cobalt Thorium G” would come as a surprise to the US who considered the Soviet army only capable of executing light military targets (Pepall, and Richards, 69). Thus, the construction of the machine contributes to the country’s decision to launch an assault on the Soviet military targets. In addition, the construction of the device made the US reconsider its decision to take and execute military targets on USSR soil.

The construction of the Doomsday machine remained a secret affair for the USSR. Arguably, the Soviets were cautious about the outcomes of exposing the progress of the construction to their rivals. The US feared that soviet scientists were capable of constructing their version of the Doomsday machine. Sadoski acknowledged they had plans to disclose its existence the following week, as a surprise for the soviet premier. He also states that following the activation of the Doomsday machine, the earth would be inhabitable. This was intended to be the final blow to the US. Dr. Strangelove advised the president to make an order requiring several hundreds of thousands of people, to reside in deep mineshafts to survive the resultant radiation. He also warns that if the Soviets learn about the Doomsday program they are likely to take similar measures to save their citizens.

A commitment only has strategic value if it is announced, understood, and implemented within the correct period (Hirschey, 105). The announcement of the Doomsday machine was timely since the USSR government could only understand the impacts of the machine after experiencing it. In addition, the ability of the machine to make the Soviet Union irrecoverable has a strategic value that the ambassador was trying to explain. The action was intended to prevent soviet enemies such as the US from planning or contemplating any surprise attacks on the Soviet Union. He also reckons that the Doomsday machine has an automatic control system that cannot be reversed by humans. Thus, his report had not been overtaken by the US actions over the Soviet Union. Read More