re: #518 Dept of the Current Danger

Quick Wiki:
Red Alert (novel) - 1958
Fail Safe (novel) - 1962
Fail Safe & Dr Strangelove (movie) - 1964

The novels play the issue straight. Dr Strangelove is an adaption of Red Alert converted into a black comedy. Fail Safe was held to be close enough to Red Alert that there was a law suit with an out of court settlement.

Fairly sure I remember “Red Alert” as a movie, too, with William Holden. (The serious stories do run together—the comedy stands out over the decades. Lesson there.)