The National Security: Its Theory and Practice, 1945-1960
Books / Hardcover
Books › Political Science › Political Freedom
ISBN: 0195039866 / Publisher: Oxford University Press, May 1986
Essays examine the reactions of the Truman and Eisenhower administrations to the newly perceived threat of communism, describe the nature of U.S. security policy, and argue that dependence on nuclear weapons has become the central part of American foreign policy
Read More
Based on a conference at West Point, this volume explores the national security policies developed by the Truman and Eisenhower administrations in response to the threat of Soviet expansionism. More pointed and analytic than any other book on the subject, it shows clearly that the makers ofCold War policy were motivated by fear. It also examines the nature of U.S. security policy and points to the growing gap between the ends and the means of global security policy--to protect Western democracy from the "Red Menace" by using a nuclear strategy with limited applications. Thecontributors, including David Alan Rosenberg, Lloyd C. Gardner, Martin J. Sherwin and Gary W. Reichard, explore such issues as how dependence on nuclear weapons became the central doctrine of American foreign policy, the bureaucratic and political context of U.S. security, Eisenhower's ongoingdisputes with Army and Navy leaders over the security issue, the objections of Democrats to the evolving security strategy, and the limits of Cold War policy, particularly how the viewing of the Third World through a U.S.-Soviet prism impeded the U.S. from developing a truly global security policy.Written in an accessible, journalistic style, The National Security makes available a wealth of information on the Cold War period and offers insights into fears that dominate political thinking to this day.
Read Less