Meaning behind "Our source was The New York Times"
In Dr. Strangelove a conversation happens between Russian Ambassador de Sadesky and U.S. President Muffley regarding the soviet doomsday machine:
Ambassador de Sadesky: The deciding factor was when we learned that your country was working along similar lines, and we were afraid of a doomsday gap.
President Muffley: This is preposterous! I never approved of anything like that!
Ambassador de Sadesky: Our source was The New York Times.
What's the meaning behind the ambassador's response here? Is he just implying that the Russians didn't even need to spy to know about the U.S. doomsday plans and that it was basic public knowledge or is there something more to understand here?
Best Answer
It's explained in the Dr. Strangelove's explanation:
The whole point of the doomsday machine is lost if you keep it a secret
Then the General says
Gee, I wish we had one of them doomsday machines
The whole joke is that you don't need to create such machine. You just must be capable of this and then tell that you have it. Hence NYT.
But the Russians didn't know this, they relied on NYT and not spies or other source, and they REALLY build such machine. Because it was so easy.
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What kind of Web is The New York Times?
But in general, Web 2.0 sites are those where the users populate the site's content as they employ it to do what they want. Think of Pinterest for sharing interests of all kinds, Instagram for sharing photos, Facebook for sharing interests and photos, etc. Wikipedia is Web 2.0; The New York Times is basically Web 1.0.What is the motto of The New York Times?
In 1897, Adolph S. Ochs, the owner of The New York Times, created the famous slogan "All the News That's Fit to Print," which still appears on the masthead of the newspaper today. He wrote the slogan as a declaration of the newspaper's intention to report the news impartially.What is The New York Times considered?
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership.Is it called New York Times or The New York Times?
The New York Times, morning daily newspaper published in New York City, long the newspaper of record in the United States and one of the world's great newspapers. Its strength is in its editorial excellence; it has never been the largest newspaper in terms of circulation.Our source was the New York Times
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