Living with Peril Eisenhower, Kennedy, and

Living with Peril explains in detail how the Eisenhower and Kennedy administrations adapted to the reality of a Soviet nuclear force capable of destroying the United States and against which there was no effective defense. Wenger illuminates the development, implementation, and evolution of U.S. government policies designed to avoid war and to respond to the vulnerability of nuclear destruction. Drawing from a wealth of sources, Wenger provides an insightful and original perspective on the origins of Cold War nuclear diplomacy.

Acknowledgments

xiii

(2)

List of Abbreviations

xv

Introduction

1

(12)

Part I: Eisenhower and Overwhelming Nuclear Superiority

13

(110)

1 The Integration of Nuclear Weapons into American National Security Policy

13

(36)

2 The Impact of the Strategic Nuclear Balance on Policy

49

(36)

The New Look: Gigantic Bluff or Coherent National Security Policy?

50

(5)

The Shifting Strategic Balance and Considerations of Preventive War

55

(14)

The Strategic Nuclear Balance and the End of the Korean War

69

(16)

3 The Impact of the Thermonuclear Revolution on Policy

85

(20)

Nuclear Arms Limitation: The Origins of Project Candor

87

(7)

Eisenhower's "Atoms for Peace" Speech

94

(5)

The Quandary of Nuclear Arms Limitation

99

(6)

4 The Nuclearization of NATO: A Delicate Balance

105

(18)

The Eisenhower Administration and the Europeans

106

(6)

NATO Goes Nuclear

112

(11)

Part II: Eisenhower and Evolving Mutual Vulnerability

123

(58)

5 Eisenhower's Approach: Buying Time with Tactical Nuclear Weapons

123

(22)

Early Skepticism about Tactical Nuclear Warfare: NSC 5602/1

124

(6)

High Tide for Tactical Nuclear Weapons: NSC 5707/8

130

(15)

6 Into the Missile Age: Does Relative Strength Matter?

145

(28)

Meeting the Threat of Surprise Attack

146

(8)

Sputnik and the Missile Gap

154

(19)

7 Eisenhower, Nuclear Weapons, and Policy at the End of the 1950s

173

(8)

Part III: Kennedy and Perceived Mutual Vulnerability

181

(132)

8 Kennedy's Approach: A Strategy of Multiple Options

181

(16)

9 The Berlin Crisis: Example of Self-Deterrence or Successful Manipulation of Risk?

197

(44)

The Reaction of the Eisenhower Administration

198

(6)

The Crisis Builds Up under Kennedy

204

(5)

The Reaction of the Kennedy Administration: A Strategy of Risk Manipulation

209

(9)

The Berlin Wall As a Symbol of Mutual Acceptance of the Status Quo

218

(3)

Nuclear Danger and Its Influence on Politics

221

(16)

The Berlin Crisis and Nuclear Weapons: Risk Manipulation and Self-Deterrence

237

(4)

10 Nuclear Politics--Symbols and Signals: How Political Considerations Affected Military Strategy, Planning, and Budgets

241

(32)

Nuclear Superiority As a Signal of Resolve and Reassurance

243

(5)

The Arms Race As a Functional Substitute for War

248

(7)

Political Considerations and Military Planning: The Case of Nuclear Testing

255

(10)

Nuclear Strategy: The Growing Gap between Theory and Practice

265

(8)

11 The Cuban Missile Crisis: The Impact of the Nuclear Danger on Policy

273

(32)

The Cuban Missile Crisis

275

(1)

The Roots of the Crisis

276

(7)

From Crisis Bargaining to Not Losing Control

283

(12)

Nuclear Superiority Versus Nuclear Danger in the Settlement of the Crisis

295

(10)

12 The Detente of 1963: Lessons of the Cuban Missile Crisis

305

(8)

Conclusions

313

(10)

Notes

323

(16)

Bibliography

439

(16)

Abbreviations of Archival Sources

439

(1)

Published Sources

440

(2)

Books and Articles

442

(13)

Index

455

(8)

About the Author

463

What is included with this book?

The New copy of this book will include any supplemental materials advertised. Please check the title of the book to determine if it should include any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.

The Used, Rental and eBook copies of this book are not guaranteed to include any supplemental materials. Typically, only the book itself is included. This is true even if the title states it includes any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.

FREE SHIPPING

Amazon no longer offers textbook rentals. We do!

Living with Peril Eisenhower, Kennedy, and Nuclear Weapons

Summary

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials