1908 Siberia Asteroid Explosion actually happens in 1962

What must the Russians think? And right in the middle of the missile crisis. Will they be pushed off the edge of the brink, or will cooler heads prevail?
 
Wouldn't the Soviet military also have RADAR and tracking devices keeping watch on bomber streams flying toward Russian airspace as well as light-up displays in case of rocket launch?
 
Wouldn't the Soviet military also have RADAR and tracking devices keeping watch on bomber streams flying toward Russian airspace as well as light-up displays in case of rocket launch?

Correct. The Soviets were even more paranoid about an accidental nuclear exchange than the Americans. Why do you think they kept their Deltas and Typhoons in port so much. In any case, the State Department would get on the phone to is Russian counterpart and assure them that all of America's nuclear ordanance is accounted for.
 
Correct. The Soviets were even more paranoid about an accidental nuclear exchange than the Americans. Why do you think they kept their Deltas and Typhoons in port so much. In any case, the State Department would get on the phone to is Russian counterpart and assure them that all of America's nuclear ordanance is accounted for.

I don't think the State Department (or anyone) had a direct emergency landline to Moscow back then. It's down to ambassadorial staff to go and talk to people then.
 
Of course, US and Western analysts would be sh**ing in their pants at how Russia got such a powerful bomb, more powerful than the combined arsenals of East AND West, at least until it got sorted out as to what it was.
 
I don't think the State Department (or anyone) had a direct emergency landline to Moscow back then. It's down to ambassadorial staff to go and talk to people then.

There's a book, called A Day in th Life of President Kennedy, which states VERY clearly that after the Cuban Missile Crisis the President had a direct line to the Kremlin which was to be used in case of an emergency.
 
There's a book, called A Day in th Life of President Kennedy, which states VERY clearly that after the Cuban Missile Crisis the President had a direct line to the Kremlin which was to be used in case of an emergency.

That's what I read, too. It was installed precisely because *during* the crisis they badly wanted one and didn't have it.

Still, this isn't the hairtrigger time of ICBM MAD, so a diplomatic telex would still be soon enough to stop Armageddon.
 
Of course, US and Western analysts would be sh**ing in their pants at how Russia got such a powerful bomb, more powerful than the combined arsenals of East AND West, at least until it got sorted out as to what it was.

So the Commies could find soon that it was a comet impact, but they keep it secret and let the West imagine their worst nighmares...
 
Well, IIRC, the Tsara Bomba was tested in Novaya Zemlya in '61. That thing was something like 100MT compared to Tunguska which has been rated at 10-15MT.

I'm inclined to agree that there's not going to be a significant escalation because the Soviets would be confused as to why the Americans would be bombing such an isolated area.

EDIT: Oops, the Tsara Bomba was originally designed to have a 100MT detonation but that was cutback to 50MT to limit fallout issues. Still much more powerful than Tunguska though.
 
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