THE BUTTON - The Nuclear Trigger - Does It Work? (First UK edition, first printing)

First printing of the first UK edition in near fine condition - the book was originally published in the USA by Simon & Schuster, New York earlier in 1985. ***Near fine in black cloth-covered boards with block-gilt titles to the spine. The boards are nice and clean, and the gilt is still beautifully bright. Head and tail of spine remain uncreased. No bumps. Corners sharp. No reading lean to the binding. Spine tight. Page block edges clean. Internally also near fine with no inscriptions or annotations. Interior pages are clean. No foxing. No creases or tears. ***In a near fine colour-illustrated dustwrapper, which has not been price-clipped, retaining the original publisher's printed price of £12.95. The dustwrapper is complete, with just the slightest of rubbing at the extremities. No chips, creases or tears. No fading. Dustwrapper crisp and bright. ***240mm x 160mm. 270 pages including a detailed section of Notes and Index at the back of the book. ***'Would the famous so-called button - the President's nuclear trigger - really work? Daniel Ford probes one of the Pentagon's most closely guarded secrets and, in a compellingly readable, thought-provoking and important book, provides this startling answer - probably not. "The Button" traces every link in the West's emergency communication system. Ford's investigative report begins with his visit to the Air Force's underground early warning centre deep underneath Cheyenne Mountain in Colorado. --- From two years of interviews with everyone from the radio operators on the Strategic Air Command's top secret airborne command post to senior U.S. war planners and their international partners, Ford has assembled a remarkably detailed and unsettling documentation of the West's hidden national security problem.' (Quote taken from the front flap of the dustwrapper) ***'The "nuclear button" is a figurative term referring to the power to use nuclear weapons. "Pushing the nuclear button" refers to actually using them. The actual procedure for using such weapons is more complex than simply pushing a button. The "nuclear button" may be transferred to another official due to political changes or the incapacitation of a person currently in control of it. Various nuclear countries have nuclear briefcases that accompany the leader (such as the president of the United States), allowing them to launch nuclear missiles at any time.' (Wiki) ***A first UK edition of this fascinating study of the so-called "Nuclear Button". An uncommon book, the subject of which is still so relevant today. ***For all our books, postage is charged at cost, allowing for packaging: any shipping rates indicated on ABE are an average only: we will reduce the P & P charge where appropriate - please contact us for postal rates for heavier books and sets etc.…