A long-time civil servant, Sir Arthur Hockaday held a number of senior posts from the 1960s to the early 1980s, including as Assistant Secretary of State, British Ministry of Defence, from 1969-1972, and member of the NATO international staff. In the interview he describes the establishment of the flexible response doctrine, and explains the differences between the American and European views on it. He discusses the studies done under Secretaries McNamara and Schlesinger that explored nuclear response options and the implications of using nuclear weapons on the battlefield. Sir Hockaday states that he does not believe in the seamless web idea, saying that it is impossible to be specifically prepared for every eventuality. He also discusses the possible Soviet response to a nuclear attack.
