That is the whole idea of this machine, you know. Deterrence is the art of producing in the mind of the enemy... the fear to attack. And so, because of the automated and irrevocable decision making process which rules out human meddling, the Doomsday Machine is terrifying. It's simple to understand. And completely credible, and convincing.
If you haven't yet seen Dr. Strangelove, rent it tonight.
I'm just a little ahead of you, Robert.
I saw the movie at the theater when it first came out.
And I've stood right next to many, many 1.1 megaton nuclear weapons (although that was over 30 years ago).
Amazing that I had normal children, really.