Nuclear Weapons and British Strategic Planning, 1955-1958

ISBN-13: 9780198277545 / Angielski / Twarda / 1991 / 280 str.

Martin S. Navias

Opis

During the 1950s nuclear weapons began to play an increasingly important role in Britain's defense policy. The development of thermonuclear bombs and assessments of the great destruction that would result from an exchange of nuclear warheads helped alter Britain's planning for war, and influenced the structure and deployment of her armed forces. In this study, Martin Navias seeks to analyze the significance of the 1957 White Paper on Defense in the context of British strategic planning during the mid-1950s. He assesses claims that the White Paper represented a culmination of trends already prevalent in British defense planning, discusses whether the basis for a truly independent deterrent was established during 1955-56, and identifies continuities in strategic policies. Nuclear Weapons and British Strategic Planning 1955-1958 will be an invaluable work of reference on a key period in the development of post-war British defense policy.

Recenzje

'Martin S. Navias's book is a fascinating study of the formulation of the 1957 White Paper ... an insightful portrait of British nuclear planning and a very useful contribution to nuclear history ... Students of postwar British military policy and nuclear history will find much value in Navias' book. Through its rich detail and extensive employment of original government documents, the book contributes to our understanding of a number of important themes ... Navias's work will be of great interest to scholars working with these - and many other - themes in miltary policy.':LPeter J. Roman, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Albion, Winter 1992

Spis treści

Introduction; Nuclear weapons and British Alliance commitments 1955-1956; The services and war planning in the thermonuclear era 1955-1956; The nuclear deterrent 1955-1956: Moving towards independence?; The Sandys White Paper of 1957; Independent deterrence and Anglo-American Co-operation: 1957-1958; Conclusion