War and Peace in the Nuclear Age; Interview with Kenneth Adelman, 1987
Description:
Kenneth Adelman served as an Assistant to the US Secretary of Defense during the Ford Administration, then Deputy US Ambassador to the United Nations and Director of the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency (ACDA) under Ronald Reagan. In the interview he characterizes the thinking of the incoming Reagan team, including members of the Committee on the Present Danger, and describes himself as a "conservative hardliner." He recounts his nomination to be Director of ACDA and the contentious confirmation process. Adelman describes some of the differences between the Reagan years and previous administrations, especially concerning the connection between arms negotiations and building up military strength. He offers the view that the Soviet Union remains "a focus of evil in the world," and that while the administration's rhetoric has appropriately changed on the subject, its views have not. He explains the importance of the Intermediate Nuclear Force agreement (INF) and the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START), and details what he views as the mixed outcome of the Reykjavik summit and the equivocal contributions of President Reagan there. He disparages the perception that arms control will solve the main problems Washington has with Moscow. Finally, he credits Reagan with producing a truly groundbreaking arms control package and advancing the idea of strategic defense, which will remain an important concept in the future.
