Why A Mysterious Black Briefcase Follows The US President Everywhere
President's Emergency Satchel
The mysterious black briefcase so-called nuclear Football, which is a black leather briefcase that contains top-secret items capable of allowing the US president to authorize a nuclear attack while away from fixed command centers, such as the Situation Room in the White House.
Officially referred to as the "president's emergency satchel," the unsophisticated-looking portable Football is hand-carried by one of five military aides and is always within reach of the commander in chief, just in case.
According to Bill Gulley, a former director of the White House Military Office, the ubiquitous Football does not contain a doomsday red-button keypad but rather four items:
A 75-page black book of retaliatory nuclear-strike options printed in black and red ink.
Another black book with a list of classified sites to shelter the president.
A manila folder containing 10 pages of instructions on how to operate the Emergency Broadcast System.
An index card with authentication codes.
In this image a retired "Football" displayed at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History.
The military aides selected to carry the briefcase are trained to administer the president for a nuclear attack in minutes
An antenna can be seen poking out of the briefcase, which suggests that there may be communications equipment inside.
"You're always kind of on edge," recalls then Air Force Major Robert Patterson, who toted the Football for President Bill Clinton.
Patterson told The Associated Press, "I opened it up constantly just to refresh myself, to always be aware of what was in it, all the potential decisions the president could possibly make,".
The first briefcase appeared after Cuban missile crises
According to Air Force Major Robert Patterson, some aides chased after Clinton while he jogged around the White House compound all the while lugging the 45-pound briefcase.
The lethal luggage first appeared during the Kennedy administration, shortly after the Cuban missile crisis in 1962.
The Unlimited Access To Nuclear War Plans
It became immediately clear to top national-security officers that the president needed unlimited access to nuclear war plans after he reportedly posed the questions during a National Security Council meeting.
