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'We were scared': Man recalls the night he nearly launched a nuclear missile
NPR News · Feb 20, 2026 · Collected from RSS
Summary
In 1974, Lt. Colonel Randall Lanning manned the launch controls that could deploy nuclear weapons in the event of a Soviet attack. He looks back at one night that's still etched in his memory.
Full Article
'We were scared': Man recalls the night he nearly launched a nuclear missile In 1974, Lt. Colonel Randall Lanning manned the launch controls that could deploy nuclear weapons in the event of a Soviet attack. He looks back at one night that's still etched in his memory. Visit StoryCorps.org NPR NPR App Apple Podcasts Spotify Amazon Music iHeart Radio YouTube Music RSS link February 20, 20265:03 AM ET By 'We were scared': Man recalls the night he nearly launched a nuclear missile Download Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/nx-s1-5715958/nx-s1-9656494" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> In 1974, Lt. Colonel Randall Lanning manned the launch controls that could deploy nuclear weapons in the event of a Soviet attack. He looks back at one night that's still etched in his memory.
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