War and Peace in the Nuclear Age; Interview with Robert Bowie, 1987
Description:
Robert Bowie was the Chairman of the Policy Planning Staff, U.S. State Department, from 1953-1957. In the interview he discusses President Eisenhower's Atoms for Peace proposal, presented to the United Nations in 1953. He explains that Eisenhower hoped the proposal would be an alternative to larger, unworkable plans, that it would serve as a starting point for further negotiations with the Soviets and that it would help overcome suspicions between the two sides. While not "primarily" a propaganda piece, the proposal did also aim at showing the U.S. in a positive light on the issue. Mr. Bowie also discusses the process of formulating the proposal, which took months because both the State and Defense Departments had concerns - the former because it wanted to focus on getting Germany into NATO, the latter because it did not want anything to interfere with the development of the New Look strategy. Atoms for Peace was not initially aimed at proliferation but by leading to the creation of the International Atomic Energy Agency, it has had a great impact over time, according to Mr. Bowie.
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