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War and Peace in the Nuclear Age (1986-03-10)
About this film
For nearly half a century, Paul Nitze was one of the chief architects of U.S. policy toward the Soviet Union. In the interview he discusses America's nuclear posture under the Eisenhower, Kennedy, and Johnson administrations. He describes his immediate reaction against John Foster Dulles' massive retaliation strategy. He explains the Gaither Committee Report, his role in shaping its content, and Eisenhower's reaction to it. He discusses the Berlin Crisis of 1961 and explains the options available to the United States at the time. He describes the transition from the Eisenhower to Kennedy administration, focusing on the nuclear strategy of Robert McNamara. He supported the counterforce doctrine and military build up, although he also goes into detail about budgetary concerns, noting that balance that needs to be struck between what nuclear forces are desirable and what the country can afford. He describes McNamara's shift in policy from counterforce to mutual assured destruction (MAD). He concludes by noting that the nuclear posture of the United States suffered during the late '60s and early '70s because so many of the resources were being poured into the Vietnam War.
Directors & creators
WGBH
Subjects
public broadcasting, AAPB, Paul Nitze, John Foster Dulles, Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, Robert McNamara, Gaither Committee, Council on Foreign Relations, Soviet Union, Berlin Crisis of 1961, massive retaliation, nuclear strategy, mutual assured destruction, Vietnam War, Quemoy-Matsu crisis, Sputnik, Albert Wohlstetter, James Finney Baxter, John Jay McCloy, Bill Foster, H. Rowan Gaither, Robert Bowie, Allen Dulles, Arthur Radford, Nikita Khrushchev
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