March to Armageddon : the United States and the nuclear arms race, 1939 to the present

311 Pages·1989·15.87 MB·English

by  Ronald E. Powaski

MARCH TO ARMAGEDDON
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MARCH
TO
ARMAGEDDON
The United States
and the Nuclear Arms Race,
1939 to the Present
RONALD E. POWASKI
OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS
New York Oxford
Oxford University Press
Oxford New York Toronto
Delhi Bombay Calcutta Madras Karachi
Petaling Jaya Singapore Hong Kong Tokyo
Nairobi Dar es Salaam Cape Town
Melbourne Auckland
and associated companies in
Berlin Ibadan
Copyright © 1987 by Ronald E. Powaski
First published in 1987 by Oxford University Press, Inc.,
200 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10016
First issued as an Oxford University Press paperback, 1989
Oxford is a registered trademark of Oxford University Press
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,
stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means,
electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise,
without the prior permission of Oxford University Press, Inc.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Powaski, Ronald E.
March to Armageddon.
Bibliography: p.
Includes index.
1. Nuclear weapons. 2. United States—Defenses.
3. Arms race--History—20th century. I. Title.
U264.P69 1987 355.8'25119'0973 86-28435
ISBN 0-19-503878-9
ISBN 0-19-504411-8 (pbk)
2 4 6 8 1 0 9 7 5 3 1
Printed in the United States of America
For Jo Ann
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PREFACE
Almost 50,000 nuclear weapons fill the arsenals of the United States and the
Soviet Union. In spite of numerous, well-publicized studies describing the
apocalyptic possibilities of continuing the nuclear arms race and the increased
public concern about the potential effects of a nuclear war, both superpowers
are deploying, and planning to deploy, thousands of additional nuclear war-
heads. The American nuclear arsenal alone is expected to grow from 25,000
warheads to over 28,000 by the end of the 1980s. The size of this stockpile
will increase further in the next decade if significant arms control or reduction
agreements are not concluded in the near future.1
While both superpowers share responsibility for the origin and continuation
of the nuclear arms race, this study will emphasize the role of the United States.
Each president since Truman has promised to seek agreements that would re-
strain the growth of superpower nuclear arsenals as well as halt the spread of
nuclear weapons to the world's nonweapon states. Paradoxically, Truman, and
each of his successors, has augmented the destructive power of the American
nuclear arsenal and has permitted nonnuclear weapon states to acquire the means
by which to produce nuclear weapons. What accounts for this discrepancy be-
tween presidential words and actions?
This study is a synthesis of the existing literature on the nuclear arms race
supported by my own research. In the chapter notes, I have attempted to ac-
knowledge the work of those who have contributed to my understanding of this
complex subject. I am also indebted to Yale University Library for permission
to use the Henry L. Stimson Diary. I owe a special thanks to my research
assistant, Kim Sirk Szendrey, as well as to George Kosman and George Barnum
of Case Western Reserve University's Freiberger Library, for the help they
provided in locating and facilitating the use of research materials. I am grateful
to Rosalie Fette for helping with the mechanical aspects of preparing the manu-
script, and to Frank Hoffert, James Kelley, and Kenneth Lowe for reading the
manuscript and making many helpful suggestions. My appreciation also is ex-
tended to my editors, Nancy Lane and Joan Bossert, for their enthusiasm, wise
counsel, and exceptional editorial work. I cannot adequately express gratitude
to my wife, Jo Ann, for her assistance in preparing the manuscript, the en-
couragement she provided, and the patience she displayed during the writing
of this book.
Euclid, Ohio R. E. p.
January 1987
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CONTENTS
1. Roosevelt and the Manhattan Project, 1939-1945 3
2. Truman, Hiroshima, and Nagasaki, 1945 12
3. Truman and International Control of the Atom, 1945-1947 29
4. Truman, the Cold War, and the Hydrogen Bomb, 1947-1952 46
5. Eisenhower and Massive Retaliation, 1953-1961 60
6. Eisenhower and Nuclear Arms Control, 1953-1961 74
7. Kennedy, Nuclear Weapons, and the Limited Test Ban Treaty,
1961-1963 93
8. Johnson, Nuclear Weapons, and the Pursuit of SALT,
1963-1969 113
9. Nixon and SALT I, 1969-1972 127
10. Nixon, Ford, and the Decline of Detente, 1972-1977 146
11. Carter and SALT II, 1977-1981 162
12. Reagan and the "Rearmament" of America, 1981-1983 184
13. Reagan and Nuclear Arms Talks, 1981 to the Present 197
Conclusion 222
Glossary of Acronyms and Technical Terms 233
Notes 237
Suggested Readings 275
Index 283