Carter First U.S. President to Participate in Nuclear Drill
Washington, D.C., May 31, 2024 - On 6 October 1977, President Jimmy Carter and top U.S. national security officials dialed into a secret “Missile Attack Conference” (MAC) to coordinate a response to a simulated surprise nuclear strike on the United States. Organized by the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), the mock war scenario was the first to involve the U.S. President and may have prompted Carter to authorize a retaliatory nuclear missile launch, according to documents posted today by the National Security Archive.
Using the ==code name Ivory Item=, the JCS developed the simulation to familiarize the President with the procedures of the Single Integrated Operational Plan (SIOP), the ultra-secret list of U.S. strategic nuclear targeting options. Today’s posting consists of declassified archival records that document President Carter’s personal interest in strategic war plans and the conduct of nuclear war in “short warning” situations.
Carter was uniquely positioned to become the first president to participate in a nuclear war simulation. As the only president with an advanced physics education and firsthand experience with nuclear submarines, the threat of nuclear weapons, nuclear war, and nuclear proliferation deeply concerned Carter, who favored deep cuts in strategic forces by both the United States and the Soviet Union. Yet, as commander-in-chief, President Carter felt that he had a responsibility to familiarize himself with emergency procedures for worst-case situations.
https://nsarchive.gwu.edu/briefing-book/nuclear-vault/2024-05-31/ivory-item-carter-first-us-president-participate-nuclear