War and Peace in the Nuclear Age; Interview with Kenneth Nichols, 1986 [3]
Description:
Kenneth Nichols served as Director of U.S. Army Research and Development, worked on the Manhattan Project and was the Chief of the U.S. Armed Forces Special Weapons Project. One of his principal roles was to help with development of the anti-ballistic missile (ABM) system. In discussing the concept, he concedes that it may never be perfect but that even at 60-80% effectiveness it would be an important factor for the Soviets to consider. He adds that the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) should be seen in the same way. He blames the civilian "intelligentsia" for cancelling the ABM program - a decision he deplores - criticizing their reliance on abstract numbers and cost figures and their ignorance of the "psychology" of war. He goes into some depth explaining and defending the program, arguing that a missile defense system would encourage not first-strike thinking but genuine control of nuclear weapons.
![War and Peace in the Nuclear Age; Interview with Kenneth Nichols, 1986 [3]](https://bpldcassets.blob.core.windows.net/derivatives/metadata/commonwealth-oai:bz60h7041/image_thumbnail_300.jpg)
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