War and Peace in the Nuclear Age; Interview with Brent Scowcroft, 1987
Description:
Brent Scowcroft was the U.S. National Security Advisor for President Gerald Ford (and later President George H.W. Bush), and served as Chairman of the presidential Commission on Strategic Forces, which recommended basing MX missiles in Minuteman silos. Here, he describes the Commission as way to overcome an impasse with Congress over how to deploy a new ICBM force, a challenge made more difficult by the sheer number of proposals from various quarters, each of which was flawed in certain ways. He provides details about the Commission's goals and workings, including his interactions with Congress and the role of Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger. He discusses concepts like survivability and window of vulnerability, the conduct of arms control, his differences with President Reagan over strategy, and his views on developments such as Reagan's "mistake" in canceling the Multiple Protective Shelter system. He also offers his opinions on the uses of ICBMs and the Midgetman missile.
