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Contrary to popular belief, the Football does not actually contain a big red button for launching a nuclear war. Its primary purpose is to confirm the president’s identity, and it allows him to communicate with the National Military Command Center in the Pentagon.

A declassified Kennedy memo documents the concerns that led to the invention of the Football as a system for verifying the identity of the commander in chief.

The Football acquired its name from an early nuclear war plan code-named Dropkick.

For the Football to function as designed, it must be nearby the commander in chief at all times, and the president must be in possession of his authentication codes. Both elements of the system have failed on occasion.

During the chaos that followed the shooting of Reagan, the football was separated from the president, and did not accompany him to the hospital.

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/real-story-football-follows-president-everywhere-180952779/