Nuclear War Danger: U.S. Military and Intelligence Officials Sound the Alarm

Pope Francis set off a storm of protest by suggesting in an interview to Corriere della Sera published May 3 that NATO might share responsibility for the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. While clearly denouncing the “atrocities” of the war, he noted that NATO had been “barking at Russia’s gate”, in other words engaging in hostile provocations of Moscow.

However, outside the mainstream media and political layers, that view is widely shared by objective observers of the situation, including many in the United States. Just to name a few:

• The Veterans Intelligence Professionals for Sanity (VIPS) released a memo to President Biden on May 1, warning of the “growing possibility that nuclear weapons might be used, as hostilities in Ukraine continue to escalate”. The VIPS, which include former intelligence officials, military officers and government advisers, note that Moscow considers western interference in Ukraine as “an existential threat”, and that President Putin’s reminders of Russia’s nuclear weapons capability “can also be read as a warning that he is prepared to use them”. They further note that “Russia can no longer doubt that the U.S. and NATO aim to weaken Russia (and to remove [Putin], if possible), and that the West also believes it can accomplish this by pouring weapons into Ukraine and urging the Ukrainians to fight on. We think these aims are delusional.” The signers include persons who are familiar to our readers, such as Ray McGovern, William Binney, Colonel (cf.) Richard H. Black, Theodore Postol and Scott Ritter.
• Col. (ret.) Lawrence Wilkerson is the former chief of staff to Secretary of State Colin Powell during the Iraq war, and an outspoken opponent of Washington’s “permanent war” policy. In an interview with Paul Jay on April 29, he blasted those “think tank warriors”, such as Victoria Nuland’s husband Robert Kagan, who recklessly talk about the need to use nuclear weapons against Russia. It is against all military experience to think that a nuclear war could be limited. Further, he is convinced that the ultimate target of the NATO “war party” is China, but they believe they first have to destroy Russia and “take out” Putin.
• Lt. Col. Daniel Davis (ret.), a well-known whistleblower on Afghanistan, has sharply warned those American policymakers who are tempted to take actions that lead to a nuclear war, including by continuing to arm Ukraine. In his view, the “United States should not fight a war — any war –unless it is absolutely needed to prevent an actual or looming attack on our people or homeland. Period. War is not a tool to compel others to do our will.”
• Army Reserve officer Tulsi Gabbard, former representative from Hawaii, tweeted on May 6: “We’re already in a hot war with Russia, and it’s going to get a lot hotter because the Biden Admin’s stated goal is the complete destruction of Russia’s economy & military. Russia has made it clear that if faced with this prospect they’ll have no choice but to use tactical nukes….The path the Biden Admin has us on will lead to WWIII & nuclear Armageddon.” She used the occasion to call on the American people, whether Democrat or Republican, to support those who “are committed to ending this war with Russia”.