The Sword and the Shield Britain, America, NATO, and Nuclear Weapons

Kristan Stoddart reveals for the first time discussions that took place between the British, French and US governments for nuclear cooperation in the early to mid 1970s. In doing so it sets the scene for the upgrade to Britain's Polaris force codenamed Ch

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Nuclear Weapons and International Security since 1945

During the second half of the last century, the practical aspects of national nuclear weapon policies remained shrouded in state secrecy laws. This was an area where political and technical issues were intertwined, and understanding required knowledge and expertise of both. Archival material was sparse and most writings on the subject were based on information provided to well-placed journalists and confidential interviews with some of those involved. The result was that for the academic analyst, separating truth from fiction was a very difficult task, especially in the case in the United Kingdom. With the end of the Cold War, archival material became available from all of the five declared nuclear-weapon states on their activities and scholars were able to discuss the previous century’s nuclear reality. A small community of scholars and former practitioners in the UK therefore started to rethink this history by producing a new series of volumes on the evolution of the United Kingdom’s nuclear weapon policies from 1952 onwards, the date of the explosion of its first nuclear device. Thanks to a grant from the UK Arts and Humanities Research Board to the Mountbatten Centre for International Studies at the University of Southampton, Professor John Simpson and his colleagues were able to start a systematic study of the post-1952 period, and to engage with those directly involved in its many aspects. What soon became clear was that in the period 1958 and 1964 the course was set for UK nuclear policy in the next half-century. It is thus appropriate that Richard Moore’s volume Nuclear Illusion, Nuclear Reality: Britain, the United States and Nuclear Weapons, 1958–1964 should be the first of the planned chronological volumes arising from this systematic process. This is reinforced by the current salience of debates over the future of the UK’s nuclear deterrent force, and the role of the volume as the lead publication in Palgrave’s wider series of studies on nuclear history. Titles include: Kristan Stoddart LOSING AN EMPIRE AND FINDING A ROLE Britain, the USA, NATO and Nuclear Weapons, 1964–70 Kristan Stoddart THE SWORD AND THE SHIELD Britain, America, NATO, and Nuclear Weapons, 1970–1976 Richard Moore NUCLEAR ILLUSTION, NUCLEAR REALITY Britain, the United States and Nuclear Weapons, 1958–64

Nuclear Weapons and International Security since 1945 Series Standing Order ISBN: 978–0–230–21775–1 hardback (outside North America only) You can receive future titles in this series as they are published by placing a standing order. Please