'We were scared': Man recalls the night he nearly launched a nuclear missile

NPR | By Esther Honig

Published February 20, 2026 at 5:03 AM EST

Facebook
Bluesky
Threads
LinkedIn
Twitter
Email

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.

'We were scared': Man recalls the night he nearly launched a nuclear missile

Subscribe to WUFT Weekly