Written by two preeminent authors in the field, this book provides an accessible global narrative of the nuclear arms race since 1945 that focuses on the roles of key scientists, military chiefs, and political leaders.The first book of its kind to provide a global perspective of the arms race, this two-volume work connects episodes worldwide involving nuclear weapons in a comprehensive, narrative fashion. Beginning with a discussion of the scientific research of the 1930s and 1940s and the Hiroshima decision, the authors focus on five basic themes: political dimensions, technological developments, military and diplomatic strategies, and impact.The history of the international nuclear arms race is examined within the context of four historical eras: America's nuclear monopoly, America's nuclear superiority, superpower parity, and the post-Cold War era. Information about the historical development of the independent deterrence of Britain, France, and China, as well as the piecemeal deterrence of newcomers Israel, India, Pakistan, and North Korea is also included, as is coverage of the efforts aimed at the international control of nuclear weapons and the diplomatic architecture that underpins the global nuclear non-proliferation regime.

VOLUME 1Preface1. Vying for an A-Bomb: World War II ContestantsGermany's Atomic QuestBritain's Early ContributionsThe United States' Successful Atomic QuestHiroshima and Japan's SurrenderJapan's Wartime Atomic ActivitiesSoviet Scientists Begin the QuestSummary2. The Emergence of a Bipolar Nuclear WorldTruman and the Politics of Atomic PowerThe United States Ponders Preventive Nuclear StrikesOrigins of Stalin's Atomic Energy ProgramDeveloping the Soviet Atomic BombThe Atomic Bomb and Cold War Origins3. Seeking International Control of Nuclear WeaponsAnglo-American Wartime ConsiderationsSeeking an International ForumEvolution of the United States' PlanUNAEC DeliberationsUNAEC Subcommittees Seek CompromiseUnited States and USSR Extend Negotiations4. NSC 68: Ramping Up the Nuclear Arms RaceThe Precursor: NSC 20 SeriesThe Ideological Theme of NSC 68Fear of a Soviet First StrikePossible U.S. Courses of ActionImplementation of NSC 685. Doctrines and Strategies: From A-Bomb to H-BombStalin's Doctrines and StrategiesKhrushchev's ReassessmentGreat Britain's New StrategyTruman's Quest for a Nuclear StrategyEisenhower Seeks a New StrategyNuclear Weapons and the Korean ArmisticeMassive Retaliation DoctrineEisenhower's "New Look" StrategyWestern Civilian Strategists6. Thermonuclear and Ballistic Missile RevolutionsTruman Endorses the Hydrogen BombSoviets Enter the Thermonuclear AgePolitical and Strategic Effect of H-BombsThe Ballistic Missile RevolutionU.S. Missile ProgramsThe Soviet Union's Missile ProgramsThe Russian Republic's Missiles7. Fending Off Nuclear Weapons: Bomber and Missile Defenses, 1945-1980sU.S. Bomber and ABM DefensesMcNamara, Johnson, and ABMsSoviet Urban Bomber and Missile DefensesNixon, Brezhnev, and the 1972 ABM TreatyReagan's Strategic Defense Initiative8. Feeding or Controlling the Nuclear Arms Race?: The 1950sFear of a Surprise AttackBomber and Missile GapsFrom Atoms for Peace, IAEA to Open SkiesOpen Skies to the Surprise Attack ConferenceQuest for a Nuclear Test BanMutual Military-Industrial Complexes?9. Toward a Flexible Response: From "Missile Gap" to the Berlin CrisisFrom Massive Retaliation to Flexible ResponseTactical Nuclear Weapons and the Nuclear ThresholdLimited Nuclear War StrategyCounterforce StrategyThe Single Integrated Operational PlanIntelligence Estimates and the Missile GapNuclear Weapons and the Berlin Crisis10. From Crisis to Renewed Hope: Cuban Missiles, the Test Ban, and China's BombThe "Cuban" Missile CrisisThe Quest for a Nuclear Test BanFear of Communist China's BombThe Kennedy-Khrushchev Era AssessedVOLUME 211. Initial Independent Nuclear Forces: Britain, France, and People's Republic of ChinaBritain, France, and the United StatesGreat Britain Gains the BombFrance Pursues the BombThe People's Republic of China Tests the Bomb12. Regional Nuclear States: Israel, Iran, India, Pakistan, and North KoreaIsrael's Nuclear WeaponsIran's Nuclear ProgramA Middle East Nuclear-Free Zone?The Subcontinent's Nuclear DilemmaSouth Asia's Efforts at Nuclear ControlsNorth Korea and Nuclear Weapons13. Search for Strategic Stability: Superpowers Limit Nuclear ArmsJohnson Initiates the ProcessNixon and Brezhnev: Launching SALTCarter, Brezhnev, and SALT IISeeking a Nuclear War Fighting Strategy14. Reagan, Gorbachev, and Nuclear Arms: Ending the Cold WarReagan and Gorbachev View Nuclear ArmsNATO, Neutron Weapons, and UnilateralismWestern Antinuclear MovementGeneva, Reykjavik, and Washington SummitsFalse Nuclear Attack WarningsFrom "Launch on Warning" to Doomsday Machine15. Post-Cold War: Superpowers' Nuclear Arms-Limits and ReductionsSTART I and IIRecall of Tactical Nuclear WeaponsCooperative Threat Reduction ProgramsGlobal Threat Reduction InitiativeNuclear Suppliers GroupThe Strategic Offensive Reduction Treaty (SORT)The New STARTZero Nuclear Weapons?16. Post-Cold War: Missiles and Missile Defenses-The Global ImpactPatriot Systems in Two Gulf WarsU.S. BMD Systems since 1980North Korean MissilesThe People's Republic of China and TaiwanIndia and Pakistan's MissilesJapan and South KoreaIran's Missile ProjectsIsrael's Missiles and Missile DefenseCruise Missiles and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles17. The Nuclear Nonproliferation RegimeDefining the Nonproliferation RegimeNuclear Proliferation: Good or Bad?Are Preventive Military Actions Viable?Quest for a Comprehensive Nuclear Test BanThe Nuclear Non-Proliferation TreatyThe Bad, the Ugly, the Optimistic: Three Enhanced NPT ReviewsNuclear-Weapons-Free Zones and Other Contributions18. ReflectionsSelected ReferencesIndex