Books
|
Buy Now
Emergency War Plan - The American Doomsday Machine, 1945-1960 (Hardcover)
Loot Price: R1,267
Discovery Miles 12 670
|
|
Emergency War Plan - The American Doomsday Machine, 1945-1960 (Hardcover)
Expected to ship within 12 - 17 working days
|
Emergency War Plan examines the theory and practice of nuclear
deterrence and its emergence during the Cold War. The language that
evolved around deterrence in the 1940s and 1950s was not
diplomatic-speak. It was technological and operational and
carefully chosen to establish and maintain credibility. The
opposition had to see that a threat was credible. That meant
aircraft, bombs, missiles, command and control facilities,
planning, and exercises. Yet examinations of nuclear strategy
during this time were, for the most part, pigeonholed as “Massive
Retaliation” and “Mutually Assured Destruction,” conveniently
summed up as “MAD.” These declaratory descriptors themselves
evolved into slogans, and any serious discussion of them faded.
Slogans mask the complex nature of concepts and situations and
allow dismissal or mockery, as in the film Dr. Strangelove. It's
possible that the secret elements of the deterrence enterprise made
public understanding difficult, if not impossible. The whole
picture was not available then, but now, with the declassification
of nuclear war strategies, it may be discernible. Emergency War
Plan draws on and even challenges the prevailing view on what
intelligence was available so that Strategic Air Command could
carry out its mission. Sean Maloney examines the relationship of
nuclear weapons to their targets and even draws on newly released
weapons effects information along with new information about Soviet
capabilities. He highlights how the process was supposed to work
and where it might not have worked. Ultimately what emerges is a
gargantuan and potentially devastating enterprise that was only
understood by the public at the time in very general terms.
General
Imprint: |
Potomac Books Inc
|
Country of origin: |
United States |
Release date: |
May 2021 |
Authors: |
Sean M Maloney
|
Dimensions: |
229 x 152 x 42mm (L x W x T) |
Format: |
Hardcover - Cloth over boards
|
Pages: |
544 |
ISBN-13: |
978-1-64012-234-5 |
Categories: |
Books
|
LSN: |
1-64012-234-6 |
Barcode: |
9781640122345 |
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!
|
|
Email address subscribed successfully.
A activation email has been sent to you.
Please click the link in that email to activate your subscription.