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Was a Covert Attempt to Bomb Iran with Nuclear Weapons foiled by a Military Leak?

Michael E. Salla, M.A., Ph.D.

Critically exploring whether or not there was a covert attempt to instigate a catastrophic nuclear war against Iran is illuminated through an introduction using the recent B-52 Incident. On August 30, a B-52 bomber armed with five nuclear-tipped Advanced Cruise missiles travelled from Minot Air Force base, North Dakota, to Barksdale Air Force base, Louisiana, in the United States. Each missile had an adjustable yield between five and 150 kilotons of TNT which is at the lower end of the destructive capacities of U.S. nuclear weapons. For example, the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima had a yield of 13 kilotons, while the Bravo Hydrogen bomb test of 1954 had a yield of 15,000 kilotons. The B-52 story was first covered in the Army Times on 5 September after the nuclear armed aircraft was discovered by Airmen. LINK

What made this a very significant event was that it was a violation of U.S. Air Force regulations concerning the transportation of nuclear weapons by air. Nuclear weapons are normally transported by air in specially constructed planes designed to prevent radioactive pollution in case of a crash. Such transport planes are not equipped to launch the nuclear weapons they routinely carry around the U.S. and the world for servicing or positioning.

The discovery of the nuclear armed B-52 was, according to Hans Kristensen, a nuclear weapons expert at the Federation of American Scientists, the first time in 40 years that a nuclear armed plane had been allowed to fly in the U.S. LINK. Since 1968, after a SAC bomber crashed in Greenland, all nuclear armed aircraft have been grounded but were kept on a constant state of alert. After the end of the Cold War, President George H. Bush ordered in 1991 that nuclear weapons were to be removed from all aircraft and stored in nearby facilities.

Recently, the Air Force began decommissioning its stockpile of Advanced Cruise missiles. The five nuclear weapons on the B-52 were to be decommissioned, and were to be taken to another Air Force base. An Air Force press statement issued on 6 September 2007, claimed that there "was an error which occurred during a regularly scheduled transfer of weapons between two bases."

Furthermore, the statement declared: "The Air Force maintains the highest standards of safety and precision so any deviation from these well established munitions procedures is considered very serious." The issue concerning how a nuclear armed B-52 bomber was allowed to take off and fly in U.S. air space after an 'error' in a routine transfer process, is now subject to an official Air Force inquiry which is due to be completed by September 14.

Three key questions emerge over the B-52 incident. First, did Air Force personnel at Minot AFB not spot the 'error' earlier given the elaborate security procedures in place to prevent such mistakes from occurring? Many military analysts have commented on the stringent security procedures in place to prevent this sort of mistake from occurring. Multiple officers are routinely involved in the transportation and loading of nuclear weapons to prevent the kind of 'error' that allegedly occurred in the B-52 incident.

According to the U.S. Air Force statement, the commanding officer in charge of military munitions personnel and additional munitions airmen were relieved of duties pending the completion of the investigation. According to Kristensen, the error could not have come from confusing the Advanced Cruise Missile with a conventional weapons since no conventional form exists. So the munitions Airmen should have been easily able to spot the mistake. Other routine procedures were violated which suggests a rather obvious explanation for the error. The military munitions personnel were acting under direct orders, though not through the regular chain of military command. This takes me to the second question

Who was in Charge of the B-52 Incident?

Who ordered the loading of Advanced Cruise missiles on to a B-52 in violation of Air Force regulations? The quick reaction of the Air Force and the issuing of a public statement describing the seriousness of the issue and the launch of an immediate investigation, suggests that whatever occurred, was outside the regular chain of military command. If the regular chain of command was violated, then we have to inquire as to whether the B-52 incident was part of a covert project whose classification level exceeded that held by officers in charge of nuclear weapons at Minot AFB.

The most obvious governmental entity that may have ordered the nuclear arming of the B-52 outside the regular chain of military command is the last remaining bastion of neo-conservative activism in the Bush administration.

Vice President Cheney has taken a very prominent role in covert military operations and training exercises designed for the "seamless integration" of different national security and military authorities to possible terrorist attacks. On May 8, 2001, President Bush placed Mr. Cheney in charge of "[A]ll federal programs dealing with weapons of mass destruction, consequence management within the Departments of Defense, Health and Human Services, Justice, and Energy, the Environmental Protection Agency, and other federal agencies". LINK. Mr. Cheney subsequently played a direct role in supervising training exercises that simultaneously occurred during the 911 attacks.

According to former Los Angeles Police Officer Michael Ruppert, Mr. Cheney had a parallel chain of command that he used to override Air Force objections to stand down orders that grounded the USAF during the 911 attacks, LINK.

Mr. Ruppert learned that the Secret Service had the authority to directly communicate presidential and vice presidential orders to fighter pilots in the air thereby circumventing the normal chain of command. (Crossing the Rubicon, pp. 428 - 429). Furthermore: "It is the Secret Service who has the legal mandate to take supreme command in case of a scheduled major event - or an unplanned major emergency - on American soil; these are designated "National Special Security Events".LINK.

Mr. Ruppert and others have subsequently claimed that 911 was an "inside job;" and alleges Mr. Cheney through the Secret Service, played a direct leadership role in what occurred over 911. Consequently, it is very possible that Mr. Cheney could have played a similar role in circumventing the regular chain of military command in ordering the B-52 incident. The B-52 incident could be part of a contrived "National Special Security Event" directly controlled by Cheney by virtue of the alleged authority granted to him by President Bush, and through the Secret Service which at least theoretically, has the technological means to by pass the regular chain of military command. I now move to my third key question.

Why was the nuclear armed B-52 sent to Barksdale AFB?

If initial reports that the weapons were being decommissioned, but were mistakenly transported by a B-52 bomber, then the weapons should have been taken to Kirtland Air Force Base. According to Kristensen, this is "where the warheads are separated from the rest of the weapon and shipped to the Energy Department's Pantex dismantlement facility near Amarillo, Texas". LINK.

However, it has been revealed that Barksdale AFB is used as a staging base for operations in the Middle East, LINK.

This is circumstantial evidence that the weapons were being deployed for possible use in the Middle East.

There has been recent speculation concerning a possible attack against Iran given reports that the Pentagon has completed plans for a three day bombing blitz of Iran according to a Sunday Times report, LINK. The Report claims that 1200 targets have been selected and this will destroy much of Iran's military infrastructure. Such an attack will devastate Iran's economy, create greater political instability in the region, and stop the oil supply. A disruption of the oil supply from the Persian Gulf could trigger a global economic recession and lead to the collapse of financial markets.

In a rather disturbing synchronistic development, there have been reports of billion dollar investments in high risk stock options in both Europe and the U.S. that would only be profitable if a dramatic collapse of the stock market were to occur before September 21. Similar stock options were purchased weeks before the 911 attack in 2001, and investigated by the Securities and Exchange Commission for possible insider trading. The combination of the Sunday Times report and the Stock market option purchases is circumstantial evidence that plans for a concerted military attack against Iran have been secretly approved and covert operations have begun, LINK.

Seymour Hersh in May 2006 reported the opposition of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to the use of nuclear weapons against Iran.

In late April, the military leadership, headed by General Pace, achieved a major victory when the White House dropped its insistence that the plan for a bombing campaign include the possible use of a nuclear device to destroy Iran's uranium-enrichment plant at Natanz, nearly two hundred miles south of Tehran. .. "Bush and Cheney were dead serious about the nuclear planning," the former senior intelligence official told me. "And Pace stood up to them.

Then the world came back: 'O.K., the nuclear option is politically unacceptable.' LINK.

Given earlier opposition by the Joint Chiefs of Staff, it is likely that the present attack plans for Iraq drawn up by the Pentagon don't involve the use of nuclear weapons. In order to circumvent the regular chain of command, opposed to a nuclear attack, it is very likely that Vice President Cheney contrived a "National Special Security Event" that involved a nuclear armed B-52. This would have given him the legal authority to place orders directly through the Secret Service to the Air Force officers responsible for the B-52 incident.

Conclusion: Exposing those Responsible for the B-52 Incident

Consequently, there is considerable circumstantial evidence to argue that the nuclear armed B-52 was part of an apparent covert operation, outside the regular chain of constitutional military command. The alleged authority responsible for this was Vice President Cheney. He very likely used the Secret Service to take charge of a contrived National Special Security Event involving a nuclear armed B-52 that would be flown from Minot AFB. The B-52 was directed to Barksdale Air Force base where it would have conducted a covert mission to the Middle East involving the detonation of one or more nuclear weapons most likely in or in the vicinity of Iran. This could either have occurred during a conventional military strike against Iran, or a False Flag operation in the Persian Gulf region.

Apparently, the leaking and discovery of the nuclear armed B-52 at Barksdale was not part of the script. According to a confidential source of Larry Johnson, a former counter-terrorism official from the State Department and CIA, the discovery of the nuclear armed B-52 was leaked. Johnson concludes: "Did someone at Barksdale try to indirectly warn the American people that the Bush Administration is staging nukes for Iran? I don't know, but it is a question worth asking." LINK.

While the general public is likely to be given a watered down declassified report by the Air Force over the B-52 incident on September 14, the real investigation will reveal that it was part of a covert operation that intended to bypass the regular chain of command in using nuclear weapons in the Middle East. This will likely result in a furious backlash by key figures in the regular military chain of Command such as Secretary of Defense, Robert Gates, and the Commander of Central Command, Admiral William Fallon, who have direct responsibility for the conduct of military operations in the Middle East. The US. Air Force, the Secretary of Defense and Commander of Central Command, is now aware of what was likely going to be the true use of the B-52 and the responsibility of the Office of the Vice President.

It is very likely that the exposure of the B-52 incident will lead to an indefinite hold on plans to attack Iran given uncertainty whether other nuclear weapons have been covertly positioned for use in the Middle East. Significantly, public officials briefed about the true circumstances of the B-52 incident will almost certainly place enormous pressure on Vice President Cheney to immediately resign if it is found that he played the role identified above. It is therefore anticipated that in a very short time, the public will learn that Cheney has resigned for health resigns.

The forthcoming September 14 U.S. Air Force report will likely describe the B-52 incident as an "error" and an "isolated incident" as foreshadowed in the September 6 Press Statement. This will create some difficulty in exposing the actual role played by Cheney and any other government figures that supported him. There will be a need for continued public awareness of the true events behind the B-52 incident in order to expose the actual role of Mr. Cheney. Only in that way can Cheney be held accountable for his actions, and other government figures that supported his neo-conservative agenda be exposed. Regardless of whether Cheney's role as the prime architect of the B-52 incident is exposed to the public, the official backlash against his covert operation should force his resignation. In either case, a very dangerous public official would be removed from a powerful position of influence. More importantly, the world has been spared a devastating nuclear war by courageous American airmen who revealed the true contents of an otherwise routine B-52 landing at Barksdale, AFB headed for a covert nuclear mission to the Middle East.

Make comments about this article in The Canadian Blog.

About the author:

Michael E. Salla, M.A. Ph.D., is a former Assistant Professor in the School of International Service, American University, Washington D.C. He is the author of five books and founder of the Exopolitics Institute, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization based in Kona, Hawaii.

Michael Kane, "Simplifying the case against Dick Cheney," LINK

Larry Johnson, "Staging Nuke for Iran?", LINK

Michael Hoffman, "B-52 mistakenly flies with nukes aboard," LINK

Michael Salla, Ph.D. "Will the U.S. Attack Iran Before September 21? - Are CIA Front Companies Investing $4.5 Billion to Profit from attacking Iran?", LINK

Edward Thomas, Lt. Col., "U.S. Air Force Statement on B-52 Nuclear Incident at Minot," PDF LINK

Michael Ruppert, Crossing the Rubicon (New Society Publishers, 2004).

Greg Webb, "US Bomber Mistakenly Flies with Nuclear Weapons", LINK

H-Bombs Over Barksdale

B-52 Flexing Nuclear Muscles

And the senior advisor on nuclear weapons at the Center for Defense Information just can't understand how such a thing could happen."

The Center for Defense Information: is it possible that we need an organization to tell us what it is the DoD is doing? Or. . .to tell the DoD what it is doing?

What do we have to fear? Absolutely nothing, according to Steve Fetter. Why? Because even if there were a crash, during which the high explosives would ignite, the warhead would not detonate.

How much money have we been asked to pay into DoD coffers for nuclear protection only to get a nuclear warhead that, mounted on a high explosives missile whose explosive ignition is supposed to set off the nuclear warhead, won't explode? We should be thankful, though, that, if this happened, there'd only be a "leak of plutonium." How many burns or cancers or deaths would a "leak of plutonium" promulgate?

People, there were six of these warheads. Six plutonium explosive devices. Six possible "leaks." Katrina only took out New Orleans; six leaks might take out Louisiana. . .which might be a good idea, for then everyone would forget FEMA's inability to deal with a natural disaster.

How do you stop a plutonium leak? Why didn't we think about this for a 1960's Polack joke! Racist jokes are supposed to show how stupid the other race is. This joke, this B-52 joke, would be a kind of blowback racist joke. Hey!--how many Americans does it take to plug a plutonium leak? About 600,000,000. Har-har-har.

But we're safe: Lt. Col. Thomas, Air Force Spokesperson, tells us the transfer went without a hitch, that is, safely, because they were in the good hands of the US Air Force. . . who created the glitch. Let me see if i get this right: I should feel safe because the fuck up by the Air Force was handled safely by the Air Force. . .

Maybe what was being tested was the new and improved non-glitchness of the US Air Force (see below). Maybe what was being tested was the total uninterestedness of the American public (see below). Or maybe it was something else (see below).

One Air Force guy, though, even said, "This has never happened before." He must be younger than 39 and not much of a reader, even of USAF history.

Let's see. . .six nuclear armed B-52's crashed between 1959 and 1968, the crash in 1968 dropping three warheads onto Greenland and one into the ocean. Thank goodness all that money we've been pouring into our protection didn't go up in smoke. That is, our explosive devices that should have set off the nuclear reaction didn't work. Gosh and golly, folks, our billion dollar ineptitude saved New Foundland jokes for the Canadians.

Thank goodness no international unclear treaties were violated, not that the US gives a damn about international treaties. Nor, does it appear, does it give a damn about its own people. Just how safe do you feel now, North Dakota? Nebraska? Kansas? Louisiana?

How frightening is this? Is this a horror movie I've seen before? Is Orson Welles alive and wallowing in the press for take two of War of the Worlds? How frightening is it that Americans aren't frightened or even asking why or how?

This news--real news!--has been all over the world but. . .there's been no follow-up. Today, as I write this, is Friday 7 September--just three months before 7 December and remembrance of a day of infamy--and there are no other news reports, at least in the US. I guess that's because reporters are too busy with Iraq and "the clown meets Hu" in Beijing (I refer, here, to the picture of George shaking Hu's hand that made the front pages).

How do I know this was not an error? Because of the stupidity of Hans Kristensen (Andersen?) of the Nuclear Information Project from the Federation of American Scientists telling the press that a host of security checks, warning signs, etc., had to be "passed over or completely ignored"--and these things are tracked by computer, so we know. . .nothing could have gone wrong. But it did. And it had to have been known. Any mechanic or Air Force grease monkey responsible for such a faux pas would have been, truly, nailed with the fury of a Miami Policeman for terrorist acts and the Air Force and George Bush for being traitors; however, they were simply declassified. That means, folks, these dolts--paid to be dolts--are still on duty, still on active pay. That's right, you are paying idiots' salaries.

Only. . .I don't think these guys are idiots. Not at all. Like all good soldiers, they were just following orders.

And are the US citizens entities in a Durrentmatt or Ionesco play? They are saying nothing. They are not even upset, much less impressed. "Wow! Look what we did? And we did it safely. Cool! Hey--turn on 'Real People.'"

Does anyone else see only authorities from within the system that created this absurdity, being quoted in excusing it or damning it. . .or reprimanding it?

But this is all beside the point. What is more important is Barksdale AFB. What kind of air base is it?

Well, it's home to the SAC 2nd Bomb Wing, the B-47/B-52 Bomb Wing, the 91st Bomb Wing, the 392nd Bomb Group, the 301st Bomb Wing, the 376th Bomb Wing and the 4238th Strategic Wing and trains all B-52 combat crew--it is one of the major bomber bases in the country. It is one of the major bomber bases in the country. It is one of the major bomber bases in the country.

Barksdale AFB is home of the mighty 8th Air Force, the only bomber war fighting headquarters. Go to their website and see them train for a real world air strike. The 8th Air Force carried out daily bombing raids in Europe during WWII; that is, they were responsible for the morally upright fire bombing of Dresden. To name one humanitarian exercise. On 13 August, Exercise Valiant Shield 2007, "the largest exercise of its kind in the Pacific," ended eight days of "flying operations." This is the air base that supplies air power over Afghanistan and Iraq. And, on 21 August, they repeated 12 May 1938 history by advancing "air power's lethality" by intercepting a ship 1,000 miles off the east coast to showcase "the military's ability to deter, dissuade or destroy maritime threats before they can harm U.S. citizens in the public eye." Who attacks anybody by sea these days?What is 1,000 miles out in the Atlantic (only about 3,000 miles to Britain)?

I do, however, feel much safer reading General Robert J. Elder's words (Commander of the 8th AF): "Global expeditionary air,space and cyberspace forces provide vigilance that is persistent, focused and predictive; reach that is reliable, rapid and agile; and power that is precise, stealthy and decisive." It bothers me, though, that SAC B-52's can fly in cyperspace. But, "It gives terrorists or whoever is trying to harm us another thing to think about," he further said.

Interstate 8 ends eight miles before the base. Talk about a protective bubble!

So. . .why was the B-52 flying to Barksdale with nuclear bombs? Dare we hazard a guess? Does anyone care?

James L. Secor is a writer/dramatist, Ph.D. presently teaching in China. He staged an all-female Lysistrata at Sun Yat-sen University in June, a prestigious top 10 university's first dramatic production He can be reached at znzfqlxskj@gmail.com

AIR FORCE TIMES CONFIRMS: ENTIRE U.S. AIR FORCE WILL STAND DOWN THIS FRIDAY!

CONTINENTAL UNITED STATES WILL HAVE ZERO FIGHTER AIRCRAFT TO PROTECT THE NATION

Despite our own CIA Director making a rare public speech claiming Al-Qaida is planning "high-impact attacks against the U.S. Homeland" our Air Force has taken steps to make our entire country vulnerable to such attacks on September 14.

In an order given to all fighter pilots and bomber pilots, the entire U.S. Air Force will "stand down" on Friday September 14. We will have ZERO air defense for the entire country on that day!

They have ordered this stand down after five nuclear bombs were "accidentally shipped by plane from Minot AFB in North Dakota to Bartsdale AFB in Louisiana on a B-52 bomber. The military says they need to stand down to go over nuclear protocols.

What is very odd about this order is that Fighter jets NEVER carry nuclear bombs. Only Bombers carry nuclear warheads. So why are fighter pilots also being ordered to stand down?

If a terrorist attack takes place on September 14, then we know that our own government made it possible with a military stand-down order.

If such an attack takes place, We The People of the United States will be left with no choice but to exercise our "orginal right of self defense" and remove our government from power by any and all means necessary, barring nothing.

Those in government are hereby warned: If your stand down order allows a terrorist attack to occur, we will come for you.
http://www.halturnershow.com/

Saturday, September 8, 2007

6 Nukes Fly Over The US - Big Problems With This Story!

As the "official" story of six wayward nukes unfolds inconsistencies abound, and government reacts with absurd remedies. Government culture is not known for it's intelligence or common sense I grant you, but their reaction seems almost "Alice in Wonderland" like. Let's examine:

Air Force official fired after 6 nukes fly over U.S.

The Air Combat Command has ordered a command-wide stand down on Sept. 14 to review procedures, officials said. In addition to the munitions squadron commander who was relieved of his duties, crews involved with the mistaken load — including ground crew workers — have been temporarily decertified for handling munitions, one official said.

According to the U.S. Air Force statement, the commanding officer in charge of military munitions personnel and additional munitions airmen were relieved of duties pending the completion of the investigation.

According to Hans Kristensen, a nuclear weapons expert at the Federation of American Scientists, "the error could not have come from confusing the Advanced Cruise Missile with a conventional weapons since no conventional form exists. So the munitions Airmen should have been easily able to spot the mistake. Other routine procedures were violated which suggests a rather obvious explanation for the error. The military munitions personnel were acting under direct orders, though not through the regular chain of military command."

Now the question is - How did a squadron commander get access to nuclear warheads? (Weapons of mass destruction?) All nuclear weapons are released only by upper echelon authority. There are fail-safe procedures and protocols in place to keep just this sort of thing from happening.

A nuclear submarine commander cannot launch his nuclear missiles without direct orders from the Commander in Chief or next in the chain of command. There are authentication codes and redundant verification procedures to stop this from happening.

How did it happen? Was the president involved, was this a covert operation, or was there a security breach? Any way you slice it, there is something very, very wrong with this story.

The timing of this looks very suspicious. This happens now at a time when there is much talk of: The US preemptively Striking Iran and large scale terrorist attacks on US soil.

Is all of this just coincidence? Time will tell. Don't expect the truth from the military investigators though.

Take a look at these comments to get the seriousness of the crisis.

Rep. Ike Skelton, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, called the mishandling of the weapons “deeply disturbing” and said the committee would press the military for details. Rep. Edward J. Markey, a senior member of the Homeland Security committee, said it was “absolutely inexcusable.”

“Nothing like this has ever been reported before and we have been assured for decades that it was impossible,” said Markey, D-Mass., co-chair of the House task force on nonproliferation.

Another angle of the story coming out also looks suspicious. Why was the nuclear armed B-52 sent to Barksdale AFB?

If initial reports that the weapons were being decommissioned, but were mistakenly transported by a B-52 bomber, then the weapons should have been taken to Kirtland Air Force Base. According to Kristensen, this is “where the warheads are separated from the rest of the weapon and shipped to the Energy Department’s Pantex dismantlement facility near Amarillo, Texas”

It is well known that Barksdale AFB is used as a staging base for operations in the Middle East.

Another strange twist here from MSNBC:

Langley jets grounded next week for safety review

WAVY-TV HAMPTON, Va. (AP) -- Langley Air Force Base will ground its jets next week.
The Air Force says the service's Air Combat Command has ordered all jet fighters and bombers to remain grounded so airmen can review safety procedures and protocol.

Langley is home to three fighter squadrons, which fly the F-15 Eagle and F-22A Raptor.
The nuclear tipped cruise missiles were on bombers not fighters! Fighters do not carry nuclear weapons. Furthermore the incident happened at Minot Air Force Base and not Langley Air Force Base. What is more disturbing is the fact that Langley is charged with defending the airspace over much of the east coast including the capitol. Why are fighters being ordered to stand down? This just doesn't compute!

Let's review the strange and inconsistent aspects of this unfolding story:

1. Nuclear tipped weapons loaded and transported skirting layers of fail-safe security measures and the chain of command.

2. Nuclear tipped weapons supposedly slated for decommission transported to a base that does not have the facilities necessary.

3. Very suspicious timing. This all happens at a time when there is much talk of the US preemptively Striking Iran and/or large scale terrorist attacks on US soil.

4. Langley Air Force Base will ground its jets for a week leaving vital airspace much less protected. This announcement will alert any would be attackers that we will be vulnerable during this period.

The whole scenario doesn't sound good or square up. Something much more is going on than we are being told!
http://freeworldsurvey.blogspot.com/2007/09/6-nukes-fly-over-us-big-problems-with.html

ISRAELI AIRLINE HAS "NO FLIGHTS" DEPARTING NEW YORK ON FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 14:

NOTE THEY AREN'T SAYING "NO SEATS AVAILABLE" BUT INSTEAD "NO FLIGHT"

Strange that the main airline in Israel suddenly has "no flight" from the biggest jew population center outside of Israel on the very same day that the entire US Air Force will be "standing down."

A lot of people said that 4,000 jews didn't show up to work at the World Trade Center in New York on 9-11. Jews seemed to "know" some big attack was going to take place that day and they didn't go to work. By the way, on 9-11, the U.S. Air Force was ordered to "stand down" while those attacks were taking place!

Here we are six years later, the neo-cons are taking all sorts of flak over the Iraq war; the US economy is headed into financial collapse, the jews still want the US to attack Iran but they can't overcome public opinion so. . . . . . another "terrorist attack" on the US would do the trick!

Strange then, that El Al has no flights from NYC on Friday Sept. 14. . . . . Is this a HINT? Do the jews know something about Sept 14 the way they seemed to know about 9-11??