War and Peace in the Nuclear Age; Interview with Anthony Farrar-Hockley, 1987
Description:
Anthony Farrar-Hockley was NATO's Commander in Chief Allied Forces Northern Europe. In the interview he explains NATO strategy involving nuclear weapons and studies from the 1960s and 1970s of how a Warsaw Pact attack might be carried out. One scenario he describes posits a quick enemy breakthrough with superior conventional (including chemical) weapons followed by a discussion within NATO over whether to respond with nuclear arms, beginning with tactical artillery shells but potentially escalating to the strategic level. The interview also relates NATO thinking about likely Soviet retaliation in that event. Farrar-Hockley also describes the changes in military technologies and strategies that occurred over time, especially in response to the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF). He argues against a "No-First-Use" policy because of Soviet conventional superiority. He also explains the challenges in simulating nuclear warfare for training purposes, as well as the difficulties in communications when the military is dealing with a "possible nuclear scenario."
