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War and Peace in the Nuclear Age (1986-03-11)
About this film
Gene La Rocque was a career naval officer who worked in the Strategic Plans Directorate of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff in the 1950s. He retired as a rear admiral. In the interview he recalls that during the Qemoy and Matsu crisis of 1958, the Navy discovered that its aircraft carriers had gradually converted to nuclear armaments, which meant that the U.S. could not have waged a significant conventional war if called upon. This was partly a function of the view that the Soviet Union was the United States' only serious enemy. In addition, most in the military simply believed it was a good idea to acquire as many nuclear weapons as possible. He acknowledges that he and other planners, including John Eisenhower, the president's son, agreed that nuclear arms were going to be a permanent feature and therefore should be built into U.S. war plans. He goes on to explain the relationships between the branches of the military, each of which vied for preeminence and believed it could win a war without the other branches. For its part, the Navy's tactic was to make its nuclear submarines dual purpose, allowing them to handle the needs of both strategic bombing and naval warfare, so that the…
Directors & creators
WGBH
Subjects
public broadcasting, AAPB, War and Peace in the Nuclear Age, United States. Air Force. Strategic Air Command, Gavin, James M. (James Maurice), 1907-1990, Taylor, Maxwell D. (Maxwell Davenport), 1901-1987, Eisenhower, Dwight D. (Dwight David), 1890-1969, Eisenhower, John S. D., 1922-, Dulles, John Foster, 1888-1959, McNamara, Robert S., 1916-2009, United States. Navy, United States. Army, United States. Air Force, Burke, Arleigh A., 1901-1996, United States. Joint Chiefs of Staff, nuclear weapons, Military weapons, nuclear warfare, Polaris (Missile), United States, China, Soviet Union
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