Interview with Russell Dougherty, 1986

Item Information

Title:
Interview with Russell Dougherty, 1986
Description:
Russell Dougherty rose through the U.S. Air Force to become chief of staff, Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE), and later commander of the Strategic Air Command (SAC). In this interview, he discusses strategic issues. A recurring topic is the use of bomber forces, including the benefits of bombers over missiles and his reaction to the decision to phase down bomber use. Another prominent subject is the concept of counter-force, a perennial component of Air Force doctrine. Gen. Dougherty also discusses the arms race from the military point of view, as a necessity to keep the enemy in check that he says has proven effective over the years. On the question of whether the U.S. sought a first strike, he contends the Air Force only wanted to make the enemy aware that the U.S. could launch first if desired, for deterrent purposes. He says the U.S. had that capability for years, but no longer does. Asked about the argument for possessing more missiles rather than less, he answers that it depends on how much damage one side wants to inflict, and relates it to the military desire to be sure of having the capability to accomplish a given mission. He comments on the fact that virtually every presidential administration undertakes a reevaluation of strategic doctrine. This was the case during the 1960s. By late in decade, the rapid development of technology provided added impetus because of the variety of new options available for planners, including allowing consideration of war termination, which was not possible in the early 1960s. Gen. Dougherty also comments on military-civil relations during the Kennedy years and the feeling among the military that their civilian counterparts behaved with a marked arrogance. Robert McNamara, he remarks, was only the tip of the iceberg in a new administration that, "like a new broom," swept away years of basic national security policy and tended to rely instead on "the whim" of more junior decision-makers.
Interviewee:
Dougherty, Russell E.
Date:
July 2, 1986
Format:
Film/Video
Location:
WGBH
Collection (local):
WGBH Open Vault
Series:
War and Peace in the Nuclear Age
Subjects:
Poseidon (Weapons system)
North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Nuclear Planning Group
Rockwell B-1 (Bomber)
Deterrence (Strategy)
United States. Air Force
Polaris (Missile)
Mutual assured destruction
Flexible response (Nuclear strategy)
Nuclear weapons
First strike (Nuclear strategy)
B-47 bomber
Minuteman (Missile)
MX (Weapons system)
North Atlantic Treaty Organization
Bowie, Robert R. (Robert Richardson), 1909-
Enthoven, Alain C., 1930-
Eisenhower, Dwight D. (Dwight David), 1890-1969
Power, Thomas S. (Thomas Sarsfield), 1905-1970
McNamara, Robert S., 1916-2009
Kennedy, John F. (John Fitzgerald), 1917-1963
Places:
United States
Extent:
01:35:01:00
Link to Item:
https://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_F6DE7DF6F42F4DDB81097FCD3FB8110D
Terms of Use:
Rights status not evaluated.
Contact host institution for more information.
Publisher:
WGBH Educational Foundation
Identifier:
V_F6DE7DF6F42F4DDB81097FCD3FB8110D