Britain Scripted Nuclear War Message

[Dave Monroe]

October 3, 2008
Britain Scripted Nuclear War Message
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

LONDON — The National Archives on Friday released a British
Broadcasting Corporation script of a doomsday message. It was not
clear whether the message, declaring that Britain was under nuclear
attack, had ever been recorded.

"This is the wartime broadcasting service," begins the announcement,
which the government planned to record in 1974. "This country has been
attacked with nuclear weapons." The announcer promises further
information as soon as possible and tells listeners to stay tuned.

"This is chilling to read," said Mark Dunton of the National Archives.
He added: "You see concern that any such announcements should be made
by a BBC voice. They feel a real need to reassure the public that in
the event of a nuclear catastrophe the BBC is still there."

But some officials cautioned at the time that repeating the same taped
announcement might lead people to believe that the BBC had, in fact,
been destroyed.

The proposal for the message was discussed between 1973 and 1975, when
tensions were high between the Soviet Union and the United States.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/03/world/europe/03bbc.html