How did the US President lose the nuclear launch codes?
Former US President Bill Clinton's aide lost the nuclear launch codes and the incident was covered up for months, the former US official's autobiography says.
A US Marine Corps officer carries a nuclear briefcase onto the US President's Air Force One. Photo: Reuters
According toBusiness Insider,The above information was written in the autobiography “Without Hesitation: The Adventures of an American Warrior” published in 2010 by Mr. Hugh Shelton, former Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff from 1997 to 2001.
The story was revived after US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un claimed to have a “nuclear button” on their desks. The book said that the nuclear launch process is not as simple as pressing a button.
“All steps depend on one crucial element without which a nuclear launch is impossible,” the book explains. The element it refers to is a nuclear launch code card, or “biscuit,” kept in a black suitcase called “The Ball.”
The nuclear briefcase will be carried by one of the president's five closest military aides at all times.
However, Mr. Shelton said, a tragic incident occurred. In 2000, a member of the US Department of Defense responsible for nuclear launch procedures was sent to the Pentagon to periodically check the launch codes. This check is conducted monthly and the nuclear launch codes are changed every four months.
At this time, a military aide to President Bill Clinton told the other official that Mr. Clinton still had the launch codes but was in an important meeting that could not be interrupted. The aide asserted that President Clinton kept the launch codes very strictly and was always followed closely by an assistant. Although skeptical, the White House official eventually accepted the reason and left.
A month later, during the next routine inspection, the aide was on leave, and another aide took his place, telling Pentagon officials that the President was very busy and that the launch codes were still secure.
“The tragicomedy continued to unfold, and I believe that even President Clinton himself was unaware of it until the deadline for recalling and replacing the nuclear launch codes,” Mr. Shelton wrote.
He also added: "It was only then that we learned that the assistant did not know where to put the nuclear launch card, it had disappeared for several months. The president did not have it and still thought his assistant had it."
Mr. Shelton and then-US Secretary of Defense William Cohen were informed of the incident and the problem was quickly resolved by changing the launch code.
However, to avoid a repeat of the above incident, the Pentagon also changed the launch code control process, according to which Pentagon officials must see the launch codes in person when they come to the White House to check, even if necessary, and have to wait.
Mr. Shelton and Mr. Cohen were worried that the incident would be discovered by the media and become an embarrassing story for the military. However, the incident was kept secret until Mr. Shelton himself recounted it in his 2010 autobiography. This is probably the first time the story has been revealed.
This is not the first time a US President has lost his nuclear card. According to US media, during the Cold War, President Jimmy Carter had a habit of keeping the card in his vest pocket. However, the incident happened when he forgot the card in his old suit. Afterwards, White House staff just put the president's clothes in the dry cleaner. According to ABC News, so far no one has confirmed the story, but no leader has denied this information.
