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American Experience

Command and Control, Accident Report

Bob Purifoy joined Sandia National Laboratories as an engineer in 1952, and later became its leading advocate for nuclear weapon safety. Bill Stevens was an engineer who served as the first head of Sandia’s nuclear safety department. Both men were shocked when they realized how vulnerable the nation’s nuclear weapons were to accidents.

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The Presidents
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Part of the award-winning "The Presidents" collection.
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The Presidents: Reagan (Part 1)
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