March to Armageddon: The United States and the Nuclear Arms Race, 1939 to the PresentOxford University Press, 1987 - 300 pages There have been scientific studies of the nuclear arms race, and there have been political exposés -- yet no book until now has given the general reader a complete and accessible history of the events, forces and factors that have brought the world to the brink of a nuclear holocaust. In this revealing account, Ronald Powaski examines two basic questions: What keeps the nuclear arms race going and why is it so difficult to end? Starting with the opening days of World War II, when Roosevelt gave the go-ahead for the secret development of the atom bomb, the famous Manhattan Project, Powaski traces the unfolding arms race up to the current day. He takes us through Truman's decision to use the bomb against Japan in 1945, the Cold War era and the missile crisis of Kennedy's administration, to the detente years of the seventies and the defense and arms control policies of Ronald Reagan, including "Star Wars" and START (the Strategic Arms Reduction Talks). As Powaski explains, both the United States and the Soviet Union now have a combined total of almost 50,000 nuclear weapons. Nuclear arms treaties and agreements are threatening to collapse, he argues, while the proliferation of nuclear materials and weapons throughout the world has given many countries the capability to produce nuclear weapons. Emphasizing the role of the United States, Powaski shows how one president after another has promised to do his utmost to end the nuclear weapons competition, yet each one has actually increased the quantity or quality of these weapons in the American arsenal. March to Armageddon reveals this startling discrepancy between presidential words and actions. |
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Page 108
... accept no fewer than six annual inspections , although he authorized an initial offer of eight . " 57 While national security helped Kennedy determine that six annual inspec- tions was the " rock bottom " number he would accept , the ...
... accept no fewer than six annual inspections , although he authorized an initial offer of eight . " 57 While national security helped Kennedy determine that six annual inspec- tions was the " rock bottom " number he would accept , the ...
Page 139
... accept the principle of ABM parity until the Soviets were willing to reach an agreement on offensive systems . 44 Smith personally thought it would have been better had the administration offered the Soviets a complete ban on ABMs . A ...
... accept the principle of ABM parity until the Soviets were willing to reach an agreement on offensive systems . 44 Smith personally thought it would have been better had the administration offered the Soviets a complete ban on ABMs . A ...
Page 167
... accept a smaller reduc- tion in the ceiling on launchers than the one it had proposed in March . If ac- cepted , it would bring down the ceiling on total launchers from 2,400 to 2,160 . But the administration still wanted a MIRVed ICBM ...
... accept a smaller reduc- tion in the ceiling on launchers than the one it had proposed in March . If ac- cepted , it would bring down the ceiling on total launchers from 2,400 to 2,160 . But the administration still wanted a MIRVed ICBM ...
Table des matières
Roosevelt and the Manhattan Project 19391945 | 5 |
Truman Hiroshima and Nagasaki 1945 | 21 |
Truman and International Control of the Atom 19451947 | 29 |
Droits d'auteur | |
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accept administration administration's agreed agreement Air Force American nuclear argued arms control atomic bomb atomic energy atomic weapons attack ballistic missiles Baruch believed bombers Brzezinski buildup Byrnes Carter Cold War Committee Conference Control and Disarmament crisis cruise missiles decision defense deploy deployment détente deterrent diplomatic Eisenhower Europe first-strike Foreign Policy freeze FRUS Geneva Hereafter cited Herken hydrogen bomb Ibid ICBMs inspection Japan Japanese Johnson Joint Chiefs July June Kahan Kennedy Khrushchev Kissinger launchers Lilienthal limited Manhattan Project McNamara military MIRV missile gap Moscow negotiations Nixon November nuclear arms race nuclear arsenal nuclear testing nuclear weapons October Oppenheimer peace Pentagon political Potsdam Potsdam Conference President proposal quoted Reagan reduce Roosevelt SALT II Treaty Seaborg Secretary Senate SLBMs Soviet Union Soviet-American Stimson Strategic Arms superpowers Talbott talks targets test ban Truman U.S. Arms Control U.S. Congress U.S. Department United Vance warheads Washington White House York