Atomic Hobo - Nuclear War Podcast: Recent Episodes
Julie McDowall
A weekly podcast on how we prepared for nuclear war.
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I go into the newspaper archives to see what the local papers in Aldershot were saying about nuclear war in the early 80s.
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Their first hours within the tiny inner refuge.
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Thanks for listening.
Julie
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Chairman Mao and his "paper tigers".
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I quote a lot of good books in this episode, so here is a list:
Tombstone: The Untold Story of Mao's Great Famine by Yang JishengMao's Great Famine: The History of China's Most Devastating Catastrophe, 1958-62, by Frank DikotterThe Evolution of Nuclear Strategy by Lawrence FreedmanThe Cold War: A World History by Odd Arne WestadThe Cold War by John Lewis Gaddis
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The first terrible 48 hours after the Bomb drops...
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The episode where the bomb drops!
I've also uploaded a new Four Minutes of The War Game episode for patrons, so please consider joining us there at www.patreon.com/atomichobo
Thanks,
Julie
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"LA was bombed today" said the local paper in 1951. This was Operation Wake Up.
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The 1950s trend - which caused mockery and anger - for calling the hydrogen bomb "clean" or "humanitarian". Could the Americans make this awful weapon clean, or was it just a ploy to quiet our fear of fallout, and silence calls to ban nuclear testing?
If you've been enjoying my FOUR MINUTES OF...episodes, please know I'm doing the same on Patreon for THE WAR GAME. Episode 6 of Four Minutes of The War Game was uploaded at the weekend, and you can join us for £3 a month and get all extra episodes. Find it here: www.patreon.com/atomichobo
Thanks for listening,
Julie
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The shadow of death falls over Jim and Hilda's cottage. Not that they notice! Too busy sorting out bottles and pepper pots - getting things just right for the bomb!
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Operation Hot Rod in 1951 took five 1930s cars out to the new Nevada test site.
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The 1953 nuclear test, ANNIE, and her creepy mannequins, wrecked cars, and flying toilets.
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A long episode today because the bomb draws near.
Jim tries to protect his home with pineapple chunks, cushions and white paint.
Join us on Patreon to read Jim's civil defence booklet, and get a bonus podcast on it: The Householder's Survival Guide from West Sussex Council, published in 1979. www.patreon.com/.atomichobo
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What happened when a sect arrived in Montana in the 1980s, with predictions that the end was nigh, annoying the bears at Yellowstone, and digging shelters all over the place?
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Thank you
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Examining the film, four minutes at a time. This week, Jim and Hilda hide from reality via wartime nostalgia. But the missiles are being readied.
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Thank you for listening.
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The Emergency Broadcast System (EBS) was set up in 1963 to alert Americans, via TV and radio, of nuclear attack. Stations were required to test the EBS once a week, but some got bored of reading the same sombre script, and tried to recite the script as a jaunty jingle. Nuclear war delivered with some easy listening?
I have a bonus podcast episode out NOW on the 1971 event when an EBS test went wrong, and was broadcast across America as a real alert. Find it on Patreon here: www.patreon.com/atomichobo
My book, Attack Warning Red: How Britain Prepared for Nuclear War is currently on an Amazon special deal in paperback. Down to £7.49 for a limited period.
Thank you for listening.
Julie
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The American radio system which operated from 1953 - 1963 and would dispense civil defence advice to the public whilst working to confuse an incoming Soviet bomber.
Join us on Patreon here for more episodes www.patreon.com/atomichobo
My book, ATTACK WARNING RED: HOW BRITAIN PREPARED FOR NUCLEAR WAR is currently on a special paperback deal for £7.49 here
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Attack-Warning-Red-Britain-Prepared/dp/1529920019/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3A8B2MAX4MNRI&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.R9sWLkhu55nZT5yVyZZbhQ.SslFvc5OyWSD-Ajh7PB-k9icPldgIaCxcW1kxaCX1tg&dib_tag=se&keywords=attack+warning+red+julie+mcdowall&nsdOptOutParam=true&qid=1736785872&sprefix=%2Caps%2C109&sr=8-1
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In 1961, the Soviets resumed nuclear testing in the Arctic, and one wee girl from Michigan was worried about the implications for Santa.
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In 1962, New Mexico built America's first - and last - underground school.
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In 1961, a group of families from New York gave up their lives on the East Coast and headed west in search of a place safe from nuclear attack. But did they choose the right place?
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The atomic city of Richland - bustin' atoms, blowin' bubbles, and expelling "undesirables".
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The building of the world's first plutonium plant in Washington state. Make way for the plutonium pioneers!
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Julie
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Will we all go together when we go?
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If you thought the hydrogen bomb was as bad as it gets, then the cobalt bomb is here to say, "Hold my beer!"
Tickets still available for this weekend's HoboCon '24 where we'll meet at a cinema in Manchester to watch Threads and an exclusive pre-recorded Q+A with the director. The Q+A will be uploaded to Patreon after the event for those who can't attend. Join us here: https://www.patreon.com/atomichobo
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How to keep your village free from "marauders" - the local issues concerning Sussex in the early 80s.
Tickets now on sale for this year's HoboCon - www.patreon.com/atomichobo
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Tickets now available for HoboCon '24 to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Threads. Get them here www.patreon.com/atomichobo
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Is this the only great nuclear war novel? And will it fry your head? Grab your spear and head to post-holocaust Kent with Riddley Walker.
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First in our new series, examining WHEN THE WIND BLOWS, four minutes at a time.
(Please excuse any snaps or clicks you might hear. It's my pup chewing. She's too young to be left unattended, or to sleep soundly whilst I'm recording. Some sounds have intruded, but I have tried to edit out the most obtrusive ones, and thrown some music down over the general snufflings.)
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The final Four Minutes of Threads episode!
I have also put every Four Minutes episode together, minus all the intros and outros, into one gigantic podcast episode. It is 12 hours' long! Twelve Hours of Threads. Twelve hours! No intros. No outros. No ads. Just edited down to the pure essence of THREADS for twelve long hours.
This is available for members NOW on Patreon as a bonus podcast episode at www.patreon.com/atomichobo
Or you can buy it as a one-off monster episode on my website www.juliemcdowall.com. Pay whatever you like. Consider it a tip or a "Cheers, Julie!" if you've enjoyed this series.
Thank you,
Julie
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The 1981 conference of the American Civil Defense Association, featuring discussion of pancake batter, Kansas City, Minutemen, and The Twilight Zone
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Get a copy of my book, Attack Warning Red, here: https://linktr.ee/attackwarningred
Introductory music: "No More Forevers" by IX. By kind permission of IX.
Other music: "Martian Cowboy" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
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Get extra content and bonus episodes at www.patreon.com/atomichobo
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Join me on Patreon here: www.patreon.com/atomichobo
Get a copy of my book, Attack Warning Red, here: https://linktr.ee/attackwarningred
Introductory music: "No More Forevers" by IX. By kind permission of IX.
Other music: "Martian Cowboy" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
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The second half of Sweden's 1961 civil defence booklet, covering evacuation, letters home, luggage, baths and plastic sheeting.
Join me on Patreon here: www.patreon.com/atomichobo
Get a copy of my book, Attack Warning Red, here: https://linktr.ee/attackwarningred
Introductory music: "No More Forevers" by IX. By kind permission of IX.
Other music: "Martian Cowboy" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
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The 1961 version of the Swedish civil defence booklet has been translated for me by two kind listeners. Let's explore it, comparing it to the British booklet of the same era.
You can find the Swedish booklet, plus its Second World War version and the later 1950s edition, at my Patreon page. Join me here at www.patreon.com/atomichobo where you will also get access to posts, archives, and bonus podcast episodes.
Introductory music: "No More Forevers" by IX. By kind permission of IX.
Additional music: "Martian Cowboy" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
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Are the Swedish brave enough to take surstromming into their shelter?
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Introductory music: No More Forevers by IX. By kind permission of IX.
Further music: SCP-x3x (I am Not OK)" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
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The Soviets tried to call the Baltic "the sea of peace" but Sweden had a few objections. Especially as any disruptions to the Baltic "peace" seemed to be coming from the Soviets, not the Swedes.
In this episode we look at how Sweden's position on the Baltic, uncomfortably close to the Soviet Union, drew her into the Cold War and nuclear tension even though she was a neutral state.
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We reach the penultimate episode!
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Back in the archives this week. We look at a US civil defence booklet from 1969 about fallout shelters in schools.
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Churchill and Eden head to Bermuda for a conference with Eisenhower.
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Churchill sails across the Atlantic to meet Eisenhower - the new US President. But even though they are allies and friends from the war, there will be no nukes and kisses from Ike.
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Britain gets the bomb! Then gets left behind again...
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Why did Britain choose Australia for its first nuclear test - and why did Australia say yes?
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Thank you!
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Ruth! Work! Up!
In this episode we see the fine reward Ruth gets for rearing her child and guarding her from the ultimate horrors of the world.
A bonus episode has been uploaded to my Patreon page for pod subscribers. It's another one on 1980s nuclear pop music. We look at RUSSIANS by Sting. You can get it here: www.patreon.com/atomichobo
You can get my book ATTACK WARNING RED: HOW BRITAIN PREPARED FOR NUCLEAR WAR HERE: https://linktr.ee/attackwarningred
Or get a signed copy from me directly at www.juliemcdowall.com
Thank you.
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Looking at a Canadian civil defence magazine from the 1960s, called Survival.
Its main purpose was to overcome apathy amongst Canadians about nuclear war and civil defence, and it tried to do this with some humour!
You can find the whole magazine on my Patreon page at www.patreon.com/atomichobo
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In the 1960s, America considered the N.E.A.R. system: a little black box you plug into the wall which acts as a personal air raid alarm.
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It's 1951 and Churchill is back in Downing Street - but is he living in "atomic wonderland"?
You can support the podcast and get extra episodes here https://www.patreon.com/atomichobo?fan_landing=true&view_as=public
You can make a one-off donation to the podcast here https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/atomichobo
And you can buy my book here https://linktr.ee/attackwarningred
Thank you.
Clement Attlee's efforts in 1950 to make America promise to consult Britain before launching the nukes.
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Buy my book, ATTACK WARNING RED!, here
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The short video recorded by CNN which would be broadcast if nuclear war started.
You can buy my book, ATTACK WARNING RED here: https://linktr.ee/attackwarningred
And you can support the podcast and get extra episodes at Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/atomichobo?fan_landing=true&view_as=public
In 1981, Protect and Survive Monthly claimed they had been "attacked" in a BBC lecture. I found the lecture, and analyse it here.
You can find it on YouTube at this link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqAocgZUpDo&t=641s
You can buy a copy of my book, ATTACK WARNING RED: HOW BRITAIN PREPARED FOR NUCLEAR WAR here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Attack-Warning-Red-Julie-McDowall/dp/1847926215/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1P6X47W5Y5L0Q&keywords=attack+warning+red+julie+mcdowall&qid=1692017642&sprefix=%2Caps%2C114&sr=8-1
And you can join my Patreon here www.patreon.com/atomichobo
Thank you for listening.
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The arrival in Britain of the B-29s in 1948.
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Britain's decision to build their own atomic bomb.
You can listen to my book on Radio 4 here https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/series/m001p1ky
Standard life - for all of your life!
Rat-trading, pylon-snapping, dog-barking, umbilical cord-chewing, starving, freezing Threads!
Remember my book, ATTACK WARNING RED, goes out on Radio 4 this week, every day, as Book of the Week. Get in on radio, iPlayer, or on the BBC Sounds app. And if you like it, you can buy it here:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Attack-Warning-Red-Julie-McDowall/dp/1847926215/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1YA0PURH07HLA&keywords=attack+warning+red+julie+mcdowall&qid=1690147483&sprefix=%2Caps%2C92&sr=8-1
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The secret plutonium experiments carried out in Cold War America.
You can buy Attack Warning Red: How Britain Prepared for Nuclear War here: https://linktr.ee/attackwarningred
Thank you for listening.
Julie
The gathering of children's bones in order to track fallout.
Join me on Patreon for extra podcast episodes at www.patreon.com/atomichobo
And you can buy my new book here: https://linktr.ee/attackwarningred
The survivors try to drag and hack dead crops from the ground and, high on the moor, Ruth's baby is born. A moment of hope and joy? Don't be daft!
You can get my new book, ATTACK WARNING RED: HOW BRITIAN PREPARED FOR NUCLEAR WAR here: https://linktr.ee/attackwarningred
Looking at a 1970 booklet called Civil Defense in the Textile, Apparel and Related Industries.
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Looking at the UK's new emergency alert test.
You can buy my new book, ATTACK WARNING RED: HOW BRITAIN PREPARED FOR NUCLEAR WAR here: https://linktr.ee/attackwarningred
An extract from my upcoming book's audiobook. This is taken from the book's final chapter, 'Nuclear War at the BBC', and looks at the controversy surrounding The War Game. We go from the glitzy 1967 Oscar ceremony to panicked talk of mass suicides if the film made it to British television.
I hope you enjoy it.
The audiobook is read by me, and can be pre-ordered NOW from all trusted audiobook retailers. It will then be available for full download on publication day, 6th April.
How balloons have been used in nuclear spying, testing and protesting.
You can now pre-order my book, ATTACK WARNING RED, at this link: https://linktr.ee/attackwarningred
Another four minutes of Threads!
You can now pre-order my book, ATTACK WARNING RED, at this link: https://linktr.ee/attackwarningred
And you can support the podcast on Patreon and get extra episodes and other rewards here: https://www.patreon.com/atomichobo
Thank you for listening.
Julie
First in a new series looking at nuclear-themed pop music. This week, Dancing With Tears In My Eyes by Ultravox.
You can now pre-order my book, ATTACK WARNING RED, at this link: https://linktr.ee/attackwarningred
And you can support the podcast on Patreon and get extra episodes and other rewards here: https://www.patreon.com/atomichobo
Thank you for listening.
Julie
We look into my civil defence archive and find a thin yellow leaflet from the 60s called Civil Defense Training for Business and Industry.
Remember you can now pre-order my book ATTACK WARNING RED: HOW BRITAIN PREPARED FOR NUCLEAR WAR at this link: https://linktr.ee/attackwarningred
And you can join us on Patreon at this link: https://www.patreon.com/atomichobo
Thank you,
Julie
Radioactive refugees, rats and regret. It's all here in Part 23!
You can now pre-order my book ATTACK WARNING RED: HOW BRITAIN PREPARED FOR NUCLEAR WAR at this link. It's published on 6th April, and is available in hardback, e-book and audiobook: https://linktr.ee/attackwarningred
Thank you,
Julie
The United States Postal Service and its plans to keep delivering the mail after nuclear war.
Support the pod on Patreon and get extra episodes at www.patreon.com/atomichobo
Or leave a tip via Paypal at www.paypal.me/atomichobo
And you can pre-order my book here https://linktr.ee/attackwarningred
Thank you.
Julie
"Buggered if I'll be shot by a traffic warden!"
One minute of Threads, devoted to the moment when the iconic traffic warden appears, and tickets our hearts and minds!
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Thank you for listening. Julie
"Finally, I am sorry, that I failed you, your crew and the country."
Listeners sent me their letters of last resort: what would they write if they were the British PM?
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Leave a tip via Paypal at www.paypal.me/atomichobo
Thank you for listening.
First in a new series looking at British PMs and the Bomb. We talk decisions, submarines and madness, and whether her letters ever actually got out to sea.
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Or you can leave a tip via Paypal at www.paypal.me/atomichobo
Remember to e-mail you own letter of last resort via my website at www.juliemcdowall.com
Pinching prawn cocktail crisps and boozing in the graveyard. Things are grim in post-nuclear Sheffield!
Join us on Patreon at www.patreon.com/atomichobo or leave a one-off tip for the podcast via Paypal at www.paypal.me/atomichobo
Thank you for listening.
Julie
The final part of our THREADS journey to Sheffield.
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Or leave a tip for the pod at wwww.paypal.me/atomichobo
Thank you for listening!
Second part of our THREADS visit to Sheffield.
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The first episode from our Threads tour and podcast meet-up in Sheffield.
Please consider joining us on Patreon at www.patreon.com/atomichobo
Thank you for listening.
Julie
Back into the archives, looking at the instructions for Shelter Managers in Battle Creek, Michigan. Handling frustration, misery and bed-hopping.
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"Shoot the buggers, I don't care!" Desperation down in the town hall bunker.
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Thank you for listening.
We reach the dreaded hospital scene! Amputations, blood on the staircase, tearful nurses, sloshing salt in a bucket...
You can support the pod on Patreon or leave a tip on my Paypal at these links. If you do: THANK YOU.
www.patreon.com/atomichobo
www.paypal.me/atomichobo
Thank you for listening.
Julie
What happened to Britain's air raid sirens after the Cold War?
Please be warned this episode starts with the sound of a siren!
Thank you for listening. Julie
Looking at how close Russian and NATO are on the map due to the existence of Kaliningrad, and the vulnerability of the Suwalki Gap which could test NATO's collective defence.
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The origins of Kaliningrad, going back to the First World War and the creation of the Polish Corridor, and taking in train crashes, ghost stations and lost amber.
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Another four minutes of THREADS, touching on nuclear winter and disaster syndrome.
Support the pod on Patreon at www.patreon.com/atomichobo
Thanks for listening.
Julie
Quick announcement about the podcast and the book.
You can now pre-order my book, ATTACK WARNING RED: HOW BRITAIN PREPARED FOR NUCLEAR WAR, by Julie McDowall.
Here is the Amazon link:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1847926215/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_SVZQW251FATSTHY45NF8
It's also available on all other book shop sites.
Thank you for pre-ordering and for supporting my work.
You can support me on Patreon at www.patreon.com/atomichobo or leave a tip at www.paypal.me/atomichobo
Thank you!
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Interview with Nick Meyer, director of THE DAY AFTER.
Getting fired from the movie, censorship, sponsors fleeing, being pushed to depression and to thoughts of suicide - he tells us about the struggle to make the film.
And what was the reaction in the Pentagon and from Ronald Reagan? Did the White House make any demands?
He also talks about the insults thrown at him after broadcast.
My thanks to Nick Meyer for speaking to me via Zoom.
Support the podcast at www.patreon.com/atomichobo or leave a tip at www.paypal.me/atomichobo
Thanks for listening. Julie
An interview with Josh Pollack, editor of the Non Proliferation review. I ask him how might NATO react to nuclear use in Ukraine? How long will the nuclear taboo hold? And he offers a reminder that there are nuclear threats beyond the Cold War scenario of Russia v the West.
Support the podcast at www.patreon.com/atomichobo or drop a tip at www.paypal.me/atomichobo
No ads and no waffle! Thank you for listening.
Julie
Examining the next four minutes of THREADS. This week, filthy water, dried blood, tetchy council workers, and following the notorious Protect and Survive aadvice on dealing with a corpse in the house.
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Interview with Pavel Podvig about Russia's nuclear forces.
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Looking back at the Soviet Victory Day celebrations of May 1985.
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The Times journalist tells us about conditions in the Heroiv Pratsi metro station in Kharkiv.
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Or give a one-off donation at www.paypal.me/atomichobo
Thank you.
Interview with Professor Mark Galeotti on Russia, the war in Ukraine, and the nuclear threat. What might prompt Putin to use nuclear weapons? When did Russia last test their tactical nukes? Can Putin's Generals say no if he issues a nuclear launch order?
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Leave a tip at www.paypal.me/atomichobo
Thank you for listening!
The bunker beneath the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, and the Soviet industrial civil defence ideas which created it.
Support the podcast and get extra episodes on www.patreon.com/atomichobo
Thank you for listening!
A new series looking at THE WAR GAME (1966). First episode free to all listeners, and subsequent THE WAR GAME episodes will be for Patrons only. Become a podcast patron at www.patreon.com/atomichobo
Weekly podcast episodes will continue as normal, with FOUR MINUTES OF THE WAR GAME as bonus Patreon content.
Thank you for listening.
Julie
Another four minutes of THREADS.
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The New Look and the doctrine of massive retaliation
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The 1995 Norwegian Rocket Incident, and the danger of launch on warning.
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What are tactical nuclear weapons, and how does their threat differ from the thumping thermonuclear monsters?
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Putin's nuclear alert and the madman theory.
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Round-up of nuclear news from Jan 1982, featuring Kevin Keegan and crossbows.
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The final episode in the story of how Britain got the atomic bomb.
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More on the story of Tube Alloys and how Britain got the Bomb. This week, when USA went cool and stopped replying to our letters.
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A look at John Anderson and the birth of the Tube Alloys project. #TubeAlloys!
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The beauty contest which took place in Nagasaki in 1946, and what it tells us about public perception of the Bomb.
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A special episode for Christmas about the chilly, smoky misery of nuclear winter. With Dr Steve Arnold of Leeds University, an expert in atmospheric chemistry.
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Reaching the most awful four minutes of the film. Michael? Michael!
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The nuclear news from January 1981, taken from the 'Spotlight' section of that month's Protect and Survive Monthly magazine.
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Looking at the 'Spotlight' news section from nuclear war prep mag, Protect and Survive Monthly. What was happening in Jan 1981?
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Trinitite, the green glassy substance created by the world's first nuclear detonation.
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The flight of Bockscar from Tinian to its rendezvous point, and then onwards to the primary nuclear target: Kokura. Why did the city escape nuclear destruction that day?
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The series of 'minor' nuclear experiments in Australia known as Vixens. They were small and sub-critical, but threw contamination over the Maralinga test site.
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Another four minutes of the greatest nuclear war film. In this week's segment, the bomb drops. Attack Warning Red!
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What sweet treats lay within Britain's buffer depots?
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The 1971 film 'Sound An Alarm', looking at the work of the UKWMO.
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Another short extract from the book about the health service's plans for nuclear war.
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A short extract from my upcoming book. I explore an ROC Monitoring Post and describe the work of the Corps during the Blitz and the Cold War.
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I spoke to the wonderful Rita May about her memories of THREADS.
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I read two pages from the Civil Defence Corps chapter of my book.
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Cauliflower and Plym: not a cocktail, but two unusual elements of Britain's first atomic test, Operation Hurricane.
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Looking at proposals for jobs for adolescents after nuclear attack.
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The 1982 booklet 'Target North West' evaluated civil defence plans for the NW of England. We look at the chapter on Law and Order.
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I phoned Mick Jackson in LA to discuss THREADS. We also talked about A Guide To Armageddon, and The Day After, plus liquorice and all manner of nuclear horror.
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The classic nuclear war film, minute by horrifying minute.
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What made the Minuteman so special, why did it spook the Soviets, and does it threaten us?
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The 1950 book on surviving an atomic bomb.
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Second part of our look at THIRTEEN DAYS, the film about the Cuban Missile Crisis.
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The Kevin Costner film about the Cuban Missile Crisis
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Scrutinising the nuclear war film, minute by minute.
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Surrey's plans for community patrols and streetwatchers, to keep the peace in their isolated post-nuclear villages.
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The famous "golf balls" on the moor at Fylingdales, and how they would have delivered the four-minute warning
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The Baby Tooth Survey and how it tracked fallout in the US population
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The pairing of atomic bombs with sex.
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What happens when underground tests go wrong? We look at the notorious SEDAN test.
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Craters, fallout fears, and deep gouges in the earth. What is an underground nuclear test?
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Examining four minutes of the nuclear war film.
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The 1963 film about the fear of nuclear attack in an American school.
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The Duga radar near Chernobyl which watched the skies for nuclear attack.
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Why did so many trawlers sink in the Irish Sea during the Cold War?
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The Priscilla Test and its experiments on pigs
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Nuclear retaliation in the age of Harold Macmillan
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We look at the harrowing nuclear war film, and ask how realistic it was.
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The controversial arrival of cruise missiles at Greenham Common and Molesworth.
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The human response to disaster, and how the American authorities tried to manage our nuclear terror.
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Can a sick or dangerous President be replaced, and how does he launch a nuclear attack? We look at the 25th Amendment, the Biscuit, and the Football.
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Panic in wartime: how the people react.
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The horrible legacy of nuclear testing at the Semipalatinsk site.
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A tour of the Cheshire bunker
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The biggest nuclear bomb ever made.
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Second part of our look at Square Leg
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The 1980 nuclear war exercise, Square Leg
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Examining four minutes of the classic nuclear war film.
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The debates about the invention of this new thermonuclear horror.
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The daring bunker break-in of 1963
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The film about the slow radiation death of Australia.
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Examining the nuclear film, minute by minute.
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The trusty old machines of the Auxiliary Fire Service, and how they'd have been used in nuclear war.
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The secret 1955 report which told the truth about thermonuclear war.
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A look at the 1951 civil defence recruitment film.
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The shows and displays of the Civil Defence Corps
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The wardens of WW2 and the various kicks, slaps and abuse they got in the blitz.
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A quick review of this oral history of the fall of the Soviet Union
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Sir Rhodes Boyson's campaign to rid schools of Peace Studies
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Short extracts and reviews of my favourite history books to entertain you during the lockdown.
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Looking at the "stay put" message of the public information campaigns on coronavirus and nuclear war.
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Analysing the nuclear war film, minute by minute
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The author explains how to reboot civilisation after an apocalypse.
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The unique horror of the enhanced radiation weapon
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The 1950s film 'The House In The Middle' suggested tidy gardens and freshly-painted fences could help keep a house safe under nuclear attack.
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The plane which dropped the bomb on Hiroshima
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Gruesome, comic and cheeky: atomic-themed pop music of the 1950s
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The firestorms of Dresden, Hamburg and Hiroshima.
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The Windscale nuclear fire and how it affected local milk supplies
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Analysing another 4 minutes of the nuclear war film.
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How the campaign was ridiculed in comedy, film and the media.
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The 'Socialist Republic of South Yorkshire" and its reluctant planning for nuclear war.
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Blood, burgers and lightbulbs - could they tell Soviet spies if nuclear war was coming?
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What happened to pets and zoo animals in WW2?
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Looking at four minutes of the nuclear war film, Threads
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Fighting the war with potatoes and a well-stocked fallout room.
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How do you get to hospital after nuclear war?
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We examine four minutes of the film THREADS
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A look at the real Soviet Doomsday Machine
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An interview with the director of the upcoming BBC film about Britain's preparation for nuclear war.
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What the novel tells us about nuclear war
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Taras joins us to discuss his new book, Nuclear War In The UK.
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What did locals think of the huge women's peace camp at Greenham Common?
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A Panorama episode from 1960 which upset the Civil defence Corps
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A look at some of the best nuclear hits of the 80s
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What Cormac McCarthy's novel tells us about a post-nuclear world.
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The gigantic stockpile of crackers in America's fallout shelters, and what happened to them when they turned rancid.
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How Britain, America and the USSR made use of telephones in their plans for nuclear war.
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How did we respond to false nuclear alerts in the Cold War?
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A look through the back issues of PROTECT AND SURVIVE MONTHLY
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The second part of my interview with Kristaps Andrejsons of The Eastern Border podcast.
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Life, paranoia, and the nuclear threat as seen from Soviet Latvia
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1950s America issued dog tags to kids so their burned bodies could be identified after nuclear war.
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Was it safe Down Under? How Australia prepared for, and imagined, nuclear war.
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America's Operation Alert and how it was disrupted by mums and babies and toys.
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How the Soviet metro stations could be used as fallout shelters.
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What happened when three Yorkshire ladies spent 48 hours in a shelter
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What the critics made of British nuclear TV.
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Protecting art and treasure from nuclear attack
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The role of the police in nuclear war.
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How West Germany prepared for nuclear war
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The psychological effects of nuclear war
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The trouble with Cold War evacuation plans
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The role of the BBC before and after nuclear attack
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The use of trains in nuclear war
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Plans to save the Queen from nuclear war
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What would happen to New Zealand in a nuclear war?
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What would you do if the bomb dropped? Listeners share their plans.
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Ireland and nuclear civil defence
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Forced labour after nuclear war
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How the Bible influenced the nuclear debate
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Children's fears of the bomb
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Using the car to escape the bomb
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A look inside a Prague civilian bunker
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Would you like to survive beside the seaside? Looking at the RSG system.
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The controversy about this once-banned film
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Stockpiling is back in the news. How did it work in the Cold War?
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An early information campaign
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The classic animated nuclear film
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Environmental Health after the Bomb
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Special edition about Chernobyl
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Why Threads terrifies me so much
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The American debate on "shelter morality"
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Launching nuclear war from beyond the grave
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We go inside Budapest's "Hospital In The Rock" bunker
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How Britain would have delivered the terrifying four minute warning.
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We go inside a nuclear bunker.
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Who's going to feed you after the Bomb drops?
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Plans for Fifi and Fido if nuclear war comes
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How they would have kept us calm down in the bunker - using pills and riot gear.
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Who's going to collect the corpses?
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