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("black bag" is a significantly less common nickname and I don't think it needs to be in the lead. mentioned in Name section already)
 
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== Name ==
== Name ==
The briefcase is officially named the "Presidential Emergency Satchel".<ref name=":0">{{cite web |first=Dugald |last=McConnell |title=Wherever President Trump goes, nuclear 'football' to follow |url=http://edition.cnn.com/2016/11/17/politics/donald-trump-nuclear-codes/index.html |work=[[CNN]] |date=November 18, 2016 |access-date=February 11, 2017 |archive-date=January 19, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180119154444/http://edition.cnn.com/2016/11/17/politics/donald-trump-nuclear-codes/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref> During the administration of [[Dwight D. Eisenhower|Dwight Eisenhower]], the briefcase was most commonly nicknamed the "satchel" or the "black bag."<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-07-18 |title=You always hear about the 'nuclear football.' Here's the behind-the-scenes story |url=https://apnews.com/article/nuclear-football-presidential-satchel-war-df3c1e65cfd21f137fd2fc7e7d62ffab |access-date=2024-11-14 |website=AP News |language=en}}</ref>
The briefcase is officially named the "Presidential Emergency Satchel".<ref name=":0">{{cite web |first=Dugald |last=McConnell |title=Wherever President Trump goes, nuclear 'football' to follow |url=http://edition.cnn.com/2016/11/17/politics/donald-trump-nuclear-codes/index.html |work=CNN |date=November 18, 2016 |access-date=February 11, 2017 |archive-date=January 19, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180119154444/http://edition.cnn.com/2016/11/17/politics/donald-trump-nuclear-codes/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref> During the administration of [[Dwight D. Eisenhower|Dwight Eisenhower]], the briefcase was most commonly nicknamed the "satchel" or the "black bag."<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-07-18 |title=You always hear about the 'nuclear football.' Here's the behind-the-scenes story |url=https://apnews.com/article/nuclear-football-presidential-satchel-war-df3c1e65cfd21f137fd2fc7e7d62ffab |access-date=2024-11-14 |website=AP News |language=en}}</ref>


By the time of President [[John F. Kennedy]]'s [[Assassination of John F. Kennedy|assassination]], if not earlier, the briefcase was also becoming known as the "football."<ref>{{Cite book |last=Manchester |first=William |title=The Death of a President November 20 – November 25,1963 |publisher=Harper and Row |year=1967 |pages=62}}</ref> General [[Chester Clifton]] stated in his 1986 interview that the term was used "jokingly", and he described how [[Warrant officer (United States)|warrant officers]], who were on a twenty-four hour schedule, would regularly hand-off the briefcase to the next person.<ref>{{Cite web |title=War and Peace in the Nuclear Age; At the Brink; Interview with Chester Clifton, 1986 |url=https://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_95F566D8767E46238DE15D0F9A38E67D |website=Open Vault from GBH}}</ref> That routine could have inspired the football metaphor, which dovetailed with the Kennedy clan's penchant for [[Touch football (American)|touch football]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=September 27, 2007 |title=Shaping Up America: JFK, Sports and the Call to Physical Fitness |url=https://www.jfklibrary.org/visit-museum/exhibits/past-exhibits/shaping-up-america-jfk-sports-and-the-call-to-physical-fitness |website=John F. Kennedy Presidential Library}}</ref> Various sources claim, often mentioning [[United States Secretary of Defense|Secretary of Defense]] [[Robert McNamara]] as a source,<ref>{{Cite news |last=McDuffee |first=Allen |date=November 21, 2017 |title=Jimmy Carter once sent launch codes to the cleaner, and other scary tales of the 'nuclear football' |url=https://timeline.com/jimmy-carter-once-sent-launch-codes-to-the-cleaner-and-other-scary-tales-of-the-nuclear-football-add77568346e |work=Timeline}}</ref> that the term "football" was derived from a nuclear attack plan codenamed "Dropkick."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Clymer |first=Adam |date=March 20, 2001 |title=On Tape, Tense Aides Meet After Reagan Shooting |work=The New York Times}}</ref> When and where McNamara made such a statement has not been cited nor is there an original source for the "Dropkick" reference. That claim may have a fictitious premise because "Dropkick" appears distinctively in the film [[Dr. Strangelove]] when the character General Buck Turgidson ([[George C. Scott]]) informs President Merkin Muffley ([[Peter Sellers]]) that the wayward B-52s headed to the Soviet Union "were part of a special exercise we were holding called Operation Dropkick."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kubrick |first=Stanley |date=1964 |title=Dr. Strangelove or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb |url=https://assets.scriptslug.com/live/pdf/scripts/dr-strangelove-or-how-i-learned-to-stop-worrying-and-love-the-bomb-1964.pdf |website=Script Slug}}</ref>
By the time of President [[John F. Kennedy]]'s [[Assassination of John F. Kennedy|assassination]], if not earlier, the briefcase was also becoming known as the "football."<ref>{{Cite book |last=Manchester |first=William |title=The Death of a President November 20 – November 25,1963 |publisher=Harper and Row |year=1967 |pages=62}}</ref> General [[Chester Clifton]] stated in his 1986 interview that the term was used "jokingly", and he described how [[Warrant officer (United States)|warrant officers]], who were on a twenty-four hour schedule, would regularly hand-off the briefcase to the next person.<ref>{{Cite web |title=War and Peace in the Nuclear Age; At the Brink; Interview with Chester Clifton, 1986 |url=https://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_95F566D8767E46238DE15D0F9A38E67D |website=Open Vault from GBH}}</ref> That routine could have inspired the football metaphor, which dovetailed with the Kennedy clan's penchant for [[Touch football (American)|touch football]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=September 27, 2007 |title=Shaping Up America: JFK, Sports and the Call to Physical Fitness |url=https://www.jfklibrary.org/visit-museum/exhibits/past-exhibits/shaping-up-america-jfk-sports-and-the-call-to-physical-fitness |website=John F. Kennedy Presidential Library}}</ref> Various sources claim, often mentioning [[United States Secretary of Defense|Secretary of Defense]] [[Robert McNamara]] as a source,<ref>{{Cite news |last=McDuffee |first=Allen |date=November 21, 2017 |title=Jimmy Carter once sent launch codes to the cleaner, and other scary tales of the 'nuclear football' |url=https://timeline.com/jimmy-carter-once-sent-launch-codes-to-the-cleaner-and-other-scary-tales-of-the-nuclear-football-add77568346e |work=Timeline}}</ref> that the term "football" was derived from a nuclear attack plan codenamed "Dropkick."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Clymer |first=Adam |date=March 20, 2001 |title=On Tape, Tense Aides Meet After Reagan Shooting |work=The New York Times}}</ref> When and where McNamara made such a statement has not been cited nor is there an original source for the "Dropkick" reference. That claim may have a fictitious premise because "Dropkick" appears distinctively in the film [[Dr. Strangelove]] when the character General Buck Turgidson ([[George C. Scott]]) informs President Merkin Muffley ([[Peter Sellers]]) that the wayward B-52s headed to the Soviet Union "were part of a special exercise we were holding called Operation Dropkick."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kubrick |first=Stanley |date=1964 |title=Dr. Strangelove or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb |url=https://assets.scriptslug.com/live/pdf/scripts/dr-strangelove-or-how-i-learned-to-stop-worrying-and-love-the-bomb-1964.pdf |website=Script Slug}}</ref>


During 1965, President [[Lyndon B. Johnson]] discussed with Robert McNamara an arrangement to eliminate the "need for an aide to be in constant attendance upon him."<ref>{{Cite web |date=1965 |title=Untitled two-part draft memorandum |url=https://nsarchive.gwu.edu/document/16699-document-18-untitled-two-part-draft-memorandum-n |website=National Security Archive}}</ref> Word of that proposal began to circulate in the media prompting White House aide [[Jack Valenti]] to deny that it had been under consideration. The newspaper article citing the denial, the syndicated "Allen-Scott Report," is perhaps the earliest public reference to the "football," quoting Valenti as saying that "The 'black bag' or 'football', as we call it, goes wherever the President travels."<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Allen-Scott Report |date=July 27, 1965 |title=Big Bomber Role is Being Reconsidered |journal=Bluefield (West Virginia) Daily Telegraph}}</ref>
During 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson discussed with Robert McNamara an arrangement to eliminate the "need for an aide to be in constant attendance upon him."<ref>{{Cite web |date=1965 |title=Untitled two-part draft memorandum |url=https://nsarchive.gwu.edu/document/16699-document-18-untitled-two-part-draft-memorandum-n |website=National Security Archive}}</ref> Word of that proposal began to circulate in the media prompting White House aide [[Jack Valenti]] to deny that it had been under consideration. The newspaper article citing the denial, the syndicated "Allen-Scott Report," is perhaps the earliest public reference to the "football," quoting Valenti as saying that "The 'black bag' or 'football', as we call it, goes wherever the President travels."<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Allen-Scott Report |date=July 27, 1965 |title=Big Bomber Role is Being Reconsidered |journal=Bluefield (West Virginia) Daily Telegraph}}</ref>


== Contents ==
== Contents ==
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Before the order can be followed by the military, the president must be positively identified using a special code issued on a plastic card, nicknamed the "[[Gold Codes|biscuit]]".<ref name=icnnd>[http://icnnd.org/Documents/Jason_Fritz_Hacking_NC2.pdf Hacking Nuclear Command and Control, International Commission on Nuclear Non proliferation and Disarmament] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110904232811/http://www.icnnd.org/Documents/Jason_Fritz_Hacking_NC2.pdf |date=September 4, 2011 }}, p. 10.</ref> The authentication is conducted between the president and the National Military Command Center deputy director of operations, using a challenge code of two [[NATO phonetic alphabet|phonetic letters]]. The president will read, from the biscuit, the daily phonetic letters, and the deputy director will confirm or deny that it is correct, confirmation indicating the person is the president and the attack orders can be given.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nonproliferation.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Finger-on-the-Nuclear-Button.pdf |title=The Finger on the Button: The Authority to Use Nuclear Weapons in Nuclear-Armed States |last1=Lewis |first1=Jeffrey G. |last2= Tertrais |first2= Bruno |last3= |first3= |publisher=Middlebury Institute for International Studies |date=February 18, 2019 |website=nonproliferation.org |access-date=13 October 2023}}</ref> Down the chain of command, the United States has a [[two-man rule]] in place at nuclear launch facilities. This verification process ensures the order came from the actual president.
Before the order can be followed by the military, the president must be positively identified using a special code issued on a plastic card, nicknamed the "[[Gold Codes|biscuit]]".<ref name=icnnd>[http://icnnd.org/Documents/Jason_Fritz_Hacking_NC2.pdf Hacking Nuclear Command and Control, International Commission on Nuclear Non proliferation and Disarmament] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110904232811/http://www.icnnd.org/Documents/Jason_Fritz_Hacking_NC2.pdf |date=September 4, 2011 }}, p. 10.</ref> The authentication is conducted between the president and the National Military Command Center deputy director of operations, using a challenge code of two [[NATO phonetic alphabet|phonetic letters]]. The president will read, from the biscuit, the daily phonetic letters, and the deputy director will confirm or deny that it is correct, confirmation indicating the person is the president and the attack orders can be given.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nonproliferation.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Finger-on-the-Nuclear-Button.pdf |title=The Finger on the Button: The Authority to Use Nuclear Weapons in Nuclear-Armed States |last1=Lewis |first1=Jeffrey G. |last2= Tertrais |first2= Bruno |last3= |first3= |publisher=Middlebury Institute for International Studies |date=February 18, 2019 |website=nonproliferation.org |access-date=13 October 2023}}</ref> Down the chain of command, the United States has a [[two-man rule]] in place at nuclear launch facilities. This verification process ensures the order came from the actual president.


Many sources show that the president has sole launch authority, and the defense secretary has no [[veto power]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Lewis |first1=Jeffrey G. |last2=Tertrais |first2=Bruno |last3= |first3= |date=February 18, 2019 |title=The Finger on the Button: The Authority to Use Nuclear Weapons in Nuclear-Armed States |url=https://www.nonproliferation.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Finger-on-the-Nuclear-Button.pdf |access-date=13 October 2023 |website=nonproliferation.org |publisher=Middlebury Institute for International Studies}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=September 22, 2017 |title=Whose Finger Is On the Button? |url=https://www.ucsusa.org/sites/default/files/attach/2017/11/Launch-Authority.pdf |access-date=13 October 2023 |website=www.ucsusa.org |publisher=Union of Concerned Scientists |quote=In the United States, the president has the sole authority to order the use of nuclear weapons, for any reason and at any time.}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Blair |first1=Bruce G. |last2= |first2= |date=3 January 2020 |title=Loose cannons: The president and US nuclear posture |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00963402.2019.1701279 |journal=Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists |volume=76 |issue=1 |pages=14=-26 |doi=10.1080/00963402.2019.1701279 |access-date=13 October 2023}}</ref> However, it has been argued that the president may not have sole authority to initiate a nuclear attack because the defense secretary is required to verify the order but cannot veto it.<ref name="Veto">{{cite web |first=Zack |last=Beauchamp |title=If President Trump decided to use nukes, he could do it easily |url=https://www.vox.com/platform/amp/2016/8/3/12367996/donald-trump-nuclear-codes |work=[[Vox (website)|Vox]] |date=August 3, 2016 |access-date=February 11, 2017 |archive-date=February 11, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180211094541/https://www.vox.com/platform/amp/2016/8/3/12367996/donald-trump-nuclear-codes |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Veto2">{{cite web |first=Bruce |last=Blair |title=What Exactly Would It Mean to Have Trump's Finger on the Nuclear Button? |url=http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/06/2016-donald-trump-nuclear-weapons-missiles-nukes-button-launch-foreign-policy-213955 |work=[[Politico]] |date=June 11, 2016 |access-date=February 11, 2017 |archive-date=February 15, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170215160838/http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/06/2016-donald-trump-nuclear-weapons-missiles-nukes-button-launch-foreign-policy-213955 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Veto3">{{cite web |first=William J. |last=Broad |title=Debate Over Trump's Fitness Raises Issue of Checks on Nuclear Power |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/05/science/donald-trump-nuclear-codes.html |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=August 4, 2016 |access-date=February 11, 2017 |archive-date=February 7, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170207064227/https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/05/science/donald-trump-nuclear-codes.html |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Law of the United States|U.S. law]] dictates that the attack must be lawful; military officers are required to refuse to execute unlawful orders, such as those that violate [[international humanitarian law]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=18 U.S. Code § 2441 – War crimes|url=https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/2441|access-date=2021-09-15|website=LII / Legal Information Institute|language=en}}</ref> Military officials, including [[John E. Hyten|General John Hyten]], have testified to the [[United States Congress|U.S. Congress]] that they would refuse to carry out an unlawful order for a nuclear strike.<ref>{{Cite news|date=2017-11-26|title=Can US generals say 'no' to Trump if he orders a nuclear strike?|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-42065714|access-date=2021-09-15}}</ref> In addition, off-the-shelf strike packages are pre-vetted by lawyers to confirm that they are legal and, thus, such a strike would be presumed to be a lawful order.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Analysis {{!}} There was no legal way to stop Trump from ordering a nuclear strike if he wanted to, expert says|language=en-US|newspaper=Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/01/08/there-is-no-legal-way-stop-trump-ordering-nuclear-strike-if-he-wants-expert-says/|access-date=2021-09-15|issn=0190-8286}}</ref>
Many sources show that the president has sole launch authority, and the defense secretary has no [[veto power]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Lewis |first1=Jeffrey G. |last2=Tertrais |first2=Bruno |last3= |first3= |date=February 18, 2019 |title=The Finger on the Button: The Authority to Use Nuclear Weapons in Nuclear-Armed States |url=https://www.nonproliferation.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Finger-on-the-Nuclear-Button.pdf |access-date=13 October 2023 |website=nonproliferation.org |publisher=Middlebury Institute for International Studies}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=September 22, 2017 |title=Whose Finger Is On the Button? |url=https://www.ucsusa.org/sites/default/files/attach/2017/11/Launch-Authority.pdf |access-date=13 October 2023 |website=www.ucsusa.org |publisher=Union of Concerned Scientists |quote=In the United States, the president has the sole authority to order the use of nuclear weapons, for any reason and at any time.}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Blair |first1=Bruce G. |last2= |first2= |date=3 January 2020 |title=Loose cannons: The president and US nuclear posture |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00963402.2019.1701279 |journal=Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists |volume=76 |issue=1 |pages=14=-26 |doi=10.1080/00963402.2019.1701279 |access-date=13 October 2023}}</ref> However, it has been argued that the president may not have sole authority to initiate a nuclear attack because the defense secretary is required to verify the order but cannot veto it.<ref name="Veto">{{cite web |first=Zack |last=Beauchamp |title=If President Trump decided to use nukes, he could do it easily |url=https://www.vox.com/platform/amp/2016/8/3/12367996/donald-trump-nuclear-codes |work=[[Vox (website)|Vox]] |date=August 3, 2016 |access-date=February 11, 2017 |archive-date=February 11, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180211094541/https://www.vox.com/platform/amp/2016/8/3/12367996/donald-trump-nuclear-codes |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Veto2">{{cite web |first=Bruce |last=Blair |title=What Exactly Would It Mean to Have Trump's Finger on the Nuclear Button? |url=http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/06/2016-donald-trump-nuclear-weapons-missiles-nukes-button-launch-foreign-policy-213955 |work=[[Politico]] |date=June 11, 2016 |access-date=February 11, 2017 |archive-date=February 15, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170215160838/http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/06/2016-donald-trump-nuclear-weapons-missiles-nukes-button-launch-foreign-policy-213955 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Veto3">{{cite web |first=William J. |last=Broad |title=Debate Over Trump's Fitness Raises Issue of Checks on Nuclear Power |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/05/science/donald-trump-nuclear-codes.html |work=The New York Times |date=August 4, 2016 |access-date=February 11, 2017 |archive-date=February 7, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170207064227/https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/05/science/donald-trump-nuclear-codes.html |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Law of the United States|U.S. law]] dictates that the attack must be lawful; military officers are required to refuse to execute unlawful orders, such as those that violate [[international humanitarian law]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=18 U.S. Code § 2441 – War crimes|url=https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/2441|access-date=2021-09-15|website=LII / Legal Information Institute|language=en}}</ref> Military officials, including [[John E. Hyten|General John Hyten]], have testified to the [[United States Congress|U.S. Congress]] that they would refuse to carry out an unlawful order for a nuclear strike.<ref>{{Cite news|date=2017-11-26|title=Can US generals say 'no' to Trump if he orders a nuclear strike?|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-42065714|access-date=2021-09-15}}</ref> In addition, off-the-shelf strike packages are pre-vetted by lawyers to confirm that they are legal and, thus, such a strike would be presumed to be a lawful order.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Analysis {{!}} There was no legal way to stop Trump from ordering a nuclear strike if he wanted to, expert says|language=en-US|newspaper=Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/01/08/there-is-no-legal-way-stop-trump-ordering-nuclear-strike-if-he-wants-expert-says/|access-date=2021-09-15|issn=0190-8286}}</ref>


Military service members have been reprimanded for questioning U.S. protocols for nuclear strike authority. In 1975, [[Harold Hering|Major Harold Hering]] was discharged from the [[United States Air Force|Air Force]] for asking, "How can I know that an order I receive to launch my missiles came from a sane president?"<ref name="slate">{{cite news|last1=Rosenbaum|first1=Ron|date=February 28, 2011|title=An Unsung Hero of the Nuclear Age – Maj. Harold Hering and the forbidden question that cost him his career|work=[[Slate (magazine)|Slate]]|url=http://www.slate.com/articles/life/the_spectator/2011/02/an_unsung_hero_of_the_nuclear_age.single.html|url-status=live|access-date=February 13, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111014232809/http://www.slate.com/articles/life/the_spectator/2011/02/an_unsung_hero_of_the_nuclear_age.single.html|archive-date=October 14, 2011}}</ref> Nevertheless, the president, once in office, as noted by former Defense Secretary [[William J. Perry|William Perry]] and Tom Z. Collina, retains the sole authority to launch a nuclear strike or attack.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Perry |first1=William J. |last2=Collina |first2=Tom Z. |date=8 January 2021 |title=Trump Still Has His Finger on the Nuclear Button. This Must Change |url=https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2021/01/08/trump-still-has-his-finger-on-the-nuclear-button-this-must-change-456667 |work=Politico |location= |access-date=13 October 2023}}</ref>
Military service members have been reprimanded for questioning U.S. protocols for nuclear strike authority. In 1975, [[Harold Hering|Major Harold Hering]] was discharged from the [[United States Air Force|Air Force]] for asking, "How can I know that an order I receive to launch my missiles came from a sane president?"<ref name="slate">{{cite news|last1=Rosenbaum|first1=Ron|date=February 28, 2011|title=An Unsung Hero of the Nuclear Age – Maj. Harold Hering and the forbidden question that cost him his career|work=[[Slate (magazine)|Slate]]|url=http://www.slate.com/articles/life/the_spectator/2011/02/an_unsung_hero_of_the_nuclear_age.single.html|url-status=live|access-date=February 13, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111014232809/http://www.slate.com/articles/life/the_spectator/2011/02/an_unsung_hero_of_the_nuclear_age.single.html|archive-date=October 14, 2011}}</ref> Nevertheless, the president, once in office, as noted by former Defense Secretary [[William J. Perry|William Perry]] and Tom Z. Collina, retains the sole authority to launch a nuclear strike or attack.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Perry |first1=William J. |last2=Collina |first2=Tom Z. |date=8 January 2021 |title=Trump Still Has His Finger on the Nuclear Button. This Must Change |url=https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2021/01/08/trump-still-has-his-finger-on-the-nuclear-button-this-must-change-456667 |work=Politico |location= |access-date=13 October 2023}}</ref>
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A major component of the "Black Bag" was the "SIOP Execution Handbook," also known as the "Gold Book," with details on the [[Single Integrated Operational Plan#:~:text=The Single Integrated Operational Plan,nuclear weapons would be launched.|Single Integrated Operational Plan]] attack options available to decision-makers. Kennedy had received several briefings on the SIOP, which acquainted him with its basic features.<ref>{{Cite web |date=July 24, 1963 |title=Memorandum of Conference with the President Prepared by Naval Aide Tazewell Shepard |url=https://nsarchive.gwu.edu/document/16691-document-10-memorandum-conference |website=National Security Archive}}</ref> To protect such sensitive contents, the "Black Bag" was by November 1963 a "thirty-pound metal suitcase with an intricate combination lock."<ref name=":1" /> There was some consideration during 1965 of finding ways to reduce the weight, apparently to no avail because recent accounts describe the weight as {{convert|45|lb|kg}}.<ref>{{Cite web |date=June 14, 1965 |title=Untitled memorandum from J.V. Josephson to General Clifton |url=https://nsarchive.gwu.edu/document/16700-document-19-untitled-memorandum-j-v |website=National Security Archive}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Dobbs |first=Michael |date=October 1964 |title=The Real Story of the 'Football' That Follows the President Everywhere |journal=Smithsonian Magazine}}</ref>
A major component of the "Black Bag" was the "SIOP Execution Handbook," also known as the "Gold Book," with details on the [[Single Integrated Operational Plan#:~:text=The Single Integrated Operational Plan,nuclear weapons would be launched.|Single Integrated Operational Plan]] attack options available to decision-makers. Kennedy had received several briefings on the SIOP, which acquainted him with its basic features.<ref>{{Cite web |date=July 24, 1963 |title=Memorandum of Conference with the President Prepared by Naval Aide Tazewell Shepard |url=https://nsarchive.gwu.edu/document/16691-document-10-memorandum-conference |website=National Security Archive}}</ref> To protect such sensitive contents, the "Black Bag" was by November 1963 a "thirty-pound metal suitcase with an intricate combination lock."<ref name=":1" /> There was some consideration during 1965 of finding ways to reduce the weight, apparently to no avail because recent accounts describe the weight as {{convert|45|lb|kg}}.<ref>{{Cite web |date=June 14, 1965 |title=Untitled memorandum from J.V. Josephson to General Clifton |url=https://nsarchive.gwu.edu/document/16700-document-19-untitled-memorandum-j-v |website=National Security Archive}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Dobbs |first=Michael |date=October 1964 |title=The Real Story of the 'Football' That Follows the President Everywhere |journal=Smithsonian Magazine}}</ref>


During the Eisenhower administration, Vice President Richard Nixon had an emergency satchel assigned to him. When Kennedy became president, one of the White House military aides sent a satchel to Vice President [[Lyndon B. Johnson]], but his office returned it for unexplained reasons. According to JCS Chairman General [[Maxwell D. Taylor]], Johnson knew about the satchel, but never received a briefing on it before he became president.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Manchester |first=William |title=The Death of a President November 20-November 25 1963 |publisher=Harper and Row |year=1967 |pages=230, 261}}</ref> As President Johnson possibly found stressful the presence of the military aide carrying the football, on one trip during his 1964 campaign, the aide flew on a separate plane.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Graff |first=Garrett |title=Raven Rock: The Story of the U.S. Government' Secret Plan to Save Itself – While the Rest of Us Die |publisher=Simon & Schuster |year=2017 |location=New York |pages=177, 250}}</ref>
During the Eisenhower administration, Vice President Richard Nixon had an emergency satchel assigned to him. When Kennedy became president, one of the White House military aides sent a satchel to Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson, but his office returned it for unexplained reasons. According to JCS Chairman General [[Maxwell D. Taylor]], Johnson knew about the satchel, but never received a briefing on it before he became president.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Manchester |first=William |title=The Death of a President November 20-November 25 1963 |publisher=Harper and Row |year=1967 |pages=230, 261}}</ref> As President Johnson possibly found stressful the presence of the military aide carrying the football, on one trip during his 1964 campaign, the aide flew on a separate plane.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Graff |first=Garrett |title=Raven Rock: The Story of the U.S. Government' Secret Plan to Save Itself – While the Rest of Us Die |publisher=Simon & Schuster |year=2017 |location=New York |pages=177, 250}}</ref>


[[File:Richard M. Nixon walking out to Marine One in the rain - NARA - 194697.tif|thumb|right|upright=1.5|[[Richard Nixon|President Nixon]] walking to [[Marine One]]—he is being followed by a military aide carrying the nuclear football]]  
[[File:Richard M. Nixon walking out to Marine One in the rain - NARA - 194697.tif|thumb|right|upright=1.5|[[Richard Nixon|President Nixon]] walking to [[Marine One]]—he is being followed by a military aide carrying the nuclear football]]  
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===Recent times===
===Recent times===
As the nuclear football is required to be near the president at all times, the aides carrying it frequently appear in press photographs.<ref name="latimes"/> In February 2017, a guest at President Trump's [[Mar-a-Lago]] resort posed for a photo with the military aide carrying the football, posting the image to [[Facebook]] and identifying the aide by his first name.<ref name="Mar-a-Lago Incident">{{Cite web |url=https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/319211-mar-a-lago-guest-posts-pics-with-nuclear-football-carrier/ |title=Mar-a-Lago guest takes picture with nuclear 'football' briefcase |website=[[The Hill (newspaper)|The Hill]] |last=Shelbourne |first=Mallory |date=February 13, 2017 |access-date=February 13, 2017 |archive-date=February 22, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180222054628/http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/319211-mar-a-lago-guest-posts-pics-with-nuclear-football-carrier |url-status=live }}</ref> The photo was posted while Trump was hosting [[Prime Minister of Japan|Japanese Prime Minister]] [[Shinzo Abe]], around the same time as news broke that [[North Korea]] had fired a nuclear-capable [[Pukguksong-2]] ballistic missile over the [[Sea of Japan]].<ref name="Feb2017">{{cite web|date=February 12, 2017|title=North Korea conducts ballistic missile test|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-38947451|archive-url=https://archive.today/20170212121817/http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-38947451|archive-date=February 12, 2017|access-date=February 13, 2017|website=BBC News}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Mar-a-Lago Member Posts Photo with 'Nuclear Football' Aide|url=https://www.rollcall.com/2017/02/13/mar-a-lago-member-posts-photo-with-nuclear-football-aide/|access-date=2020-08-19|website=Roll Call|date=February 13, 2017 |language=en|archive-date=June 13, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200613013620/https://www.rollcall.com/2017/02/13/mar-a-lago-member-posts-photo-with-nuclear-football-aide/|url-status=live}}</ref> U.S. military officials clarified that it was neither illegal nor against proper procedure for the officer to appear in such a photo, although they conceded that the situation was strange.<ref name="latimes">{{cite news|last1=Hennigan|first1=W.J.|title=Social media is freaking out about a photo of the man who holds the nuclear football. The Pentagon is not|url=http://www.latimes.com/politics/washington/la-na-essential-washington-updates-nuclear-football-1487013348-htmlstory.html|access-date=February 15, 2017|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=February 13, 2017|archive-date=February 9, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180209024213/http://www.latimes.com/politics/washington/la-na-essential-washington-updates-nuclear-football-1487013348-htmlstory.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
As the nuclear football is required to be near the president at all times, the aides carrying it frequently appear in press photographs.<ref name="latimes"/> In February 2017, a guest at President Trump's [[Mar-a-Lago]] resort posed for a photo with the military aide carrying the football, posting the image to [[Facebook]] and identifying the aide by his first name.<ref name="Mar-a-Lago Incident">{{Cite web |url=https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/319211-mar-a-lago-guest-posts-pics-with-nuclear-football-carrier/ |title=Mar-a-Lago guest takes picture with nuclear 'football' briefcase |website=[[The Hill (newspaper)|The Hill]] |last=Shelbourne |first=Mallory |date=February 13, 2017 |access-date=February 13, 2017 |archive-date=February 22, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180222054628/http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/319211-mar-a-lago-guest-posts-pics-with-nuclear-football-carrier |url-status=live }}</ref> The photo was posted while Trump was hosting [[Prime Minister of Japan|Japanese Prime Minister]] [[Shinzo Abe]], around the same time as news broke that [[North Korea]] had fired a nuclear-capable [[Pukguksong-2]] ballistic missile over the [[Sea of Japan]].<ref name="Feb2017">{{cite web|date=February 12, 2017|title=North Korea conducts ballistic missile test|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-38947451|archive-url=https://archive.today/20170212121817/http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-38947451|archive-date=February 12, 2017|access-date=February 13, 2017|website=BBC News}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Mar-a-Lago Member Posts Photo with 'Nuclear Football' Aide|url=https://www.rollcall.com/2017/02/13/mar-a-lago-member-posts-photo-with-nuclear-football-aide/|access-date=2020-08-19|website=Roll Call|date=February 13, 2017 |language=en|archive-date=June 13, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200613013620/https://www.rollcall.com/2017/02/13/mar-a-lago-member-posts-photo-with-nuclear-football-aide/|url-status=live}}</ref> U.S. military officials clarified that it was neither illegal nor against proper procedure for the officer to appear in such a photo, although they conceded that the situation was strange.<ref name="latimes">{{cite news|last1=Hennigan|first1=W.J.|title=Social media is freaking out about a photo of the man who holds the nuclear football. The Pentagon is not|url=http://www.latimes.com/politics/washington/la-na-essential-washington-updates-nuclear-football-1487013348-htmlstory.html|access-date=February 15, 2017|work=Los Angeles Times|date=February 13, 2017|archive-date=February 9, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180209024213/http://www.latimes.com/politics/washington/la-na-essential-washington-updates-nuclear-football-1487013348-htmlstory.html|url-status=live}}</ref>


On November 8, 2017, when President Trump made a [[state visit]] to [[China]], U.S. military aides carrying the football were reportedly involved in a "short scuffle" with Chinese security officials, after the latter tried to bar the former access to the [[Great Hall of the People]] auditorium.<ref name="theguardian">{{cite news|title=Chinese and US officials scuffled over 'nuclear football' during 2017 President Trump visit|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/feb/19/china-and-us-in-skirmish-over-nuclear-football-during-trump-visit-to-beijing-report|access-date=2020-11-10|work=[[The Guardian]]|date=2018-02-19|archive-date=February 27, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180227012148/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/feb/19/china-and-us-in-skirmish-over-nuclear-football-during-trump-visit-to-beijing-report|url-status=live}}</ref> Political correspondent [[Jonathan Swan]], who reported the incident, wrote, "I'm told that at no point did the Chinese have the nuclear football in their possession or even touch the briefcase. I'm also told the head of the Chinese security detail apologised to the Americans afterwards for the misunderstanding."<ref name="theguardian" />
On November 8, 2017, when President Trump made a [[state visit]] to China, U.S. military aides carrying the football were reportedly involved in a "short scuffle" with Chinese security officials, after the latter tried to bar the former access to the [[Great Hall of the People]] auditorium.<ref name="theguardian">{{cite news|title=Chinese and US officials scuffled over 'nuclear football' during 2017 President Trump visit|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/feb/19/china-and-us-in-skirmish-over-nuclear-football-during-trump-visit-to-beijing-report|access-date=2020-11-10|work=The Guardian|date=2018-02-19|archive-date=February 27, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180227012148/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/feb/19/china-and-us-in-skirmish-over-nuclear-football-during-trump-visit-to-beijing-report|url-status=live}}</ref> Political correspondent [[Jonathan Swan]], who reported the incident, wrote, "I'm told that at no point did the Chinese have the nuclear football in their possession or even touch the briefcase. I'm also told the head of the Chinese security detail apologised to the Americans afterwards for the misunderstanding."<ref name="theguardian" />


On January 6, 2021, during the [[2021 storming of the United States Capitol|storming of the United States Capitol]] by rioters, security footage, displayed during the subsequent [[Second impeachment trial of Donald Trump|Trump impeachment trial]], showed Vice President [[Mike Pence]] along with the aide carrying the backup football being hastily evacuated from the [[United States Senate chamber|Senate chamber]]. While the vice president was sheltering with his team and family, the football came within {{convert|100|ft|m}} of the approaching rioters. Its capture during the event could have resulted in the loss of sensitive intelligence surrounding pre-planned nuclear strike options. It was later reported that military officials were unaware of the danger to the football during the riot.<ref>{{Cite web|author=Barbara Starr and Caroline Kelly|title=Military officials were unaware of potential danger to Pence's 'nuclear football' during Capitol riot|url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/11/politics/military-officials-were-unaware-pence-nuclear-football-riot/index.html|access-date=2021-02-12|website=CNN|date=February 11, 2021 }}</ref>
On January 6, 2021, during the [[2021 storming of the United States Capitol|storming of the United States Capitol]] by rioters, security footage, displayed during the subsequent [[Second impeachment trial of Donald Trump|Trump impeachment trial]], showed Vice President [[Mike Pence]] along with the aide carrying the backup football being hastily evacuated from the [[United States Senate chamber|Senate chamber]]. While the vice president was sheltering with his team and family, the football came within {{convert|100|ft|m}} of the approaching rioters. Its capture during the event could have resulted in the loss of sensitive intelligence surrounding pre-planned nuclear strike options. It was later reported that military officials were unaware of the danger to the football during the riot.<ref>{{Cite web|author=Barbara Starr and Caroline Kelly|title=Military officials were unaware of potential danger to Pence's 'nuclear football' during Capitol riot|url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/11/politics/military-officials-were-unaware-pence-nuclear-football-riot/index.html|access-date=2021-02-12|website=CNN|date=February 11, 2021 }}</ref>
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