A.Horne, Macmillan/II,1989,P.366: Mac 22/10/62 "rejected urgings from
(Saceur) to place Br.Forces on a higher state of readiness. (
Mac,) with his own tragic personal memories
{i.e of 8/1914 mobilisation and Fleet-to war stations, before Declaration} pointed out
{?presumably to Gen.Norstad?} that mobilisation sometimes leads to war".
Others have similarly stated that
Mac refused to disperse MBF...but why would
AM Cross wish to do so? We had some Warning (limited to 1,500nm) from BMEWS I (Thule) and II (Alaska) but not yet from III (Fylingdales), so
Shyster IRBMs from E.Germany would first be detected aurally. MBF Launch must be on Command. Best done from Main Base.
PM Macmillan already had ample nuclear "provocation" at hand, 10/62:
- (some) of 5
George Washington SSBNs out of Holy Loch,
- 45 USAF/SAC
Reflex Action B-47E armed and at high states of Alert in S. Midlands,
- 75 USAFE F-101A/C and 150 F-100D, 6 and 12 constantly at
Victor Alert, with tactical Bombs in E.Anglia,
- 24 TBF Valiants (US Bombs), 4 on QRA, at Marham,
- 10 MBF Vulcan 1/2, Victor 1 on QRA and 65 more U/E, with
Yellow Sun 2,
- many of
SMF's 59 Thors, erect 27/10/62,
- RAFG had 8 Canberra B(I)6/8 (US Bombs) on QRA and 56 more U/E,
- BAOR had 16 Corporal SSM launchers, US warheads,
-
Ark Royal was on FE Station with 5 Scimitar/
Red Beard,
- NEAF/Akrotiri had 32 U/E Canberra B.15/
Red Beard.
The brain goes into an endless loop on First or Second Strike - Thor clearly First Strike, provocative exactly as US saw Cuban SS-4.
Logic could be presented that dispersal would have been
un-provocative, by complicating any First Strike - Sovs. in target multiplication, UK in rapid "generation" (messy in Machrihanish!)
(added 13/11/16:
http://www.alternatewars.com/WW3/Cub...5_Oct_1962.htm has JCS msgs to White House, 25/10/62:
- 3 alert Valiant
- 4 alert
(me: RAFG) Canberra
-
(me: no Thor but) 37 Jupiter
(me: Italy+Turkey: somewhere I have seen suggestion: never opnl. in Turkey)
- no SIOP RAFBC; 61 airborne B-52, 304 ground alert B-52, 340 alert B-47; 9 alert F-101
(me: in UK), 27 alert F-100
(me: UK+France).
- 112 alert Polaris out of Holy Loch - 16x5 A1, plus 16x2 A2.