Annie Jacobsen: Nuclear War, CIA, KGB, Aliens, Area 51, Roswell & Secrecy | Lex Fridman Podcast #420

She's telling us the entire world and human race is minutes away from annihilation, and everyone in comments saying "I love her voice"

Well this was a lovely uplifting little chat

If there’s anyone I want to read me bedtime stories it’s this woman. Please tuck me in Annie.

For everyone, she narrates her own books on audible

I should not have 420 blazed it for the 420th podcast. This is intense.

Here are the timestamps. Please check out our sponsors to support this podcast. Transcript: https://lexfridman.com/annie-jacobsen-transcript 0:00 - Introduction & sponsor mentions: - HiddenLayer: https://hiddenlayer.com/lex - BetterHelp: https://betterhelp.com/lex to get 10% off - Policygenius: https://policygenius.com/lex - NetSuite: http://netsuite.com/lex to get free product tour 2:13 - Nuclear war 6:57 - Launch procedure 12:36 - Deterrence 16:09 - Tactical nukes 25:35 - Nuclear submarines 28:35 - Nuclear missiles 35:46 - Nuclear football 44:53 - Missile interceptor system 49:10 - North Korea 55:46 - Nuclear war scenarios 1:04:38 - Warmongers 1:09:06 - President's cognitive ability 1:15:19 - Refusing orders 1:23:17 - Russia and Putin 1:28:23 - Cyberattack 1:29:45 - Ground zero of nuclear war 1:34:24 - Surviving nuclear war 1:38:42 - Nuclear winter 1:49:05 - Alien civilizations 1:54:40 - Extrasensory perception 2:08:25 - Area 51 2:12:23 - UFOs and aliens 2:22:51 - Roswell incident 2:29:30 - CIA assassinations 2:48:23 - Navalny 2:50:48 - KGB 2:57:24 - Hitler and the atomic bomb 3:01:27 - War and human nature 3:04:53 - Hope

I understand now why this guy got so popular so fast. This is one of the highest quality interviews I've ever seen.

Lex you’re just on a real tear with the guests lately. Bravo

This is intense. Frankly it reminds me of my childhood. I'm 52, so 8 years old in 1980... We lived with an awareness of the perilous situation that existed, and hasn't changed, just below the surface. I remember nuclear drills in Elementary school, and the movie The Day After. Many nightmares... What she said about the situation itself was not revealing to me, but what got my attention was the confirmation that we are closer now than we ever were. Combine that with a societal move away from the awareness that was hammered into my generation and you have a widening gulf between our knowledge of and perception of the importance of the nuclear issue, and the reality on the ground. That gulf in my mind increases further the likelihood that we may end up in a situation where, as we wobble around on our way forward, one wobble will take us too close to the edge. Because we forgot how close the edge is. She is reminding us, and I think that what she is doing is of the utmost importance.

Nuclear war ASMR