Mysteries of the Cold War by Stephen J. Cimbala

Author:Stephen J. Cimbala [Cimbala, Stephen J.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781138325944
Barnesnoble:
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Published: 2020-06-30T00:00:00+00:00

Factors that Led to Change

The picture that comes through the historical record is that of a president who was reluctant to rely on nuclear weapons, who was reluctant to give up civilian control and who wanted to preserve his own control over the planning process and decision-making in a crisis. Yet, he ultimately made a series of decisions which greatly expanded the role of nuclear weapons in US strategy and led to the deployment of thousands of nuclear weapons in Europe. What were the factors that led to these decisions? Some are obvious from the discussion above.

By 1948 the challenge of the Soviet threat had become clear and the opportunity for the international control of atomic weapons had disappeared. By 1949 the United States had undertaken major new security commitments in Europe, including the nuclear guarantee embedded in article 5 of the NATO treaty. As soon as the allies met to discuss their respective contributions to the common defence it became apparent that the alliance would not raise the conventional forces necessary to match the Soviet Union. Nuclear weapons looked like a promising offset to superior Soviet conventional strength.

Several additional factors contributed to the growing interest in developing non-strategic nuclear options. The technology of nuclear weapons had advanced rapidly, making new options available - particularly smaller weapons. The navy, the army and the tactical airforce developed an interest in nuclear weapons and began to challenge the SAC with respect to missions and resources. This service interest generated a number of studies which examined tactical applications of nuclear weapons and, in the aftermath of the Korean War, there were additional studies which looked at how nuclear weapons might have been applied in Korea. Finally, some important personalities shaped the policy debates about nuclear weapons.

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