alternatehistory.com

I've been developing a timeline based on the plot of Ride To Hell: Retribution, in which a nuclear bomb is detonated off of the coast of a Californian city. In-game, they handwave it as only affecting fish in the water, but obviously that would be extremely unrealistic; a nuclear explosion that close would have devastating effects, wiping out most of the city and spreading radiation across most of the southwestern United States.

I've also been thinking about the further consequences that a nuclear incident like this would have to the political landscape. The game takes place in the mid-1960s, post-Cuban Missile Crisis and during the height of the Vietnam War. So, what are some possible consequences of such a scenario (assuming that the US doesn't immediately fire retaliatory strikes at the USSR, thinking they had something to do with it)?
Top