The document, called SIOP-62, or the Single Integrated Operating Plan, set out what the US’ response would be in the event of a nuclear war – specifically in the event of another Berlin 1961 crisis.
That crisis saw a conflict between the Soviet Union and the US regarding the status of Berlin, the German capital.
The SIOP-62 document set out what would happen should such a conflict arose again. The document predicted what would happen if the US were to deploy a full-force nuclear attack on the Soviet Union, China, and other countries.
According to analysis of the document by US international affairs magazine National Interest, the resulting deaths would have totalled 335,000,000.
The analysis shows that the document divided the US’ firepower into two sections: ‘Alert Force’, in which some nuclear forces struck the Soviet Union and its allies; and ‘Full Force’, where the US would use all of its nuclear arsenals.
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In an Alert Force attack, the SIOP document claimed 199 Soviet cities with populations of 50,000 people or more would be hit, causing many to die due to a breakdown in society after the attack.
In China, an Alert Force attack is estimated to have hit 49 cities.
But in eastern Europe, only military targets would be struck; though this would reportedly still leave 1,378,000 killed by the US attacks.
However, the numbers change drastically in a Full Force attack scenario. According to the document, a Full Force attack would hit 295 cities.
This would take the lives of 108 million people, and casualties in eastern Europe would increase to over four million.
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Despite Beijing denying the claims, tensions have been building for a while.
China is also facing mounting criticism of its handling of the coronavirus pandemic, with critics accusing the country of a lack of transparency, and some suggesting it should be liable for compensation.
US reports have outlined concerns about possible breaches of a “zero yield” standard for test blasts in relation to activities at China’s Lop Nur nuclear test site throughout 2019.