Interview with Norman Dicks, 1987

Item Information

Title:
Interview with Norman Dicks, 1987
Description:
Norman Dicks was a U.S. Representative from Washington from 1977-2013. He served on the House Appropriations Committee and was an official observer at US-Soviet arms reduction talks in the 1980s. In the interview he discusses the basing modes proposed by the Reagan administration as alternatives to MPS. He focuses on the opposition to Dense Pack and explains the reasoning behind accepting MX missiles in fixed silos. He argues in favor of MX because they are already paid for, and provide effective deterrence based on their ability to easily target important Soviet military objectives. He also argues for the long-term plan of relying on small mobile missiles for stability since this would require one or two warheads to destroy them, which would reduce the enemy’s incentive to attack. He describes the bitter congressional debates over ICBM modernization, and the deal struck with the Reagan administration to pursue serious arms control. In connection with the nuclear freeze movement, he comments on the Democratic Party’s rejection of a unilateral freeze for the US, which he asserts will bring more balanced mutual reductions. Finally, Rep. Dicks draws several lessons from the MX experience, including the need for bipartisanship and long-term thinking.
Interviewee:
Dicks, Norman D.
Date:
December 3, 1987
Format:
Film/Video
Location:
WGBH
Collection (local):
WGBH Open Vault
Series:
War and Peace in the Nuclear Age
Subjects:
Midgetman Missile
Weinberger, Caspar W.
United States. Congress. Senate
Soviet Union
Reagan, Ronald
Nuclear weapons
United States. Congress. House
United States. Joint Chiefs of Staff
Strategic Arms Limitation Talks
Aspin, Les
Laxalt, Paul
Intercontinental ballistic missiles
Nuclear arms control
Strategic Arms Limitation Talks II
Scowcroft, Brent
MX (Weapons system)
Democratic Party (U.S.)
Nitze, Paul H.
Townes, Charles H.
Shultz, George Pratt, 1920-
Brown, Harold, 1927-
Gore, Albert, 1948-
Wilson, Pete, 1933-
Vance, Cyrus R. (Cyrus Roberts), 1917-2002
Brzezinski, Zbigniew, 1928-
Dellums, Ronald V., 1935-
Clifford, Clark M., 1906-1998
Jackson, Henry M. (Henry Martin), 1912-1983
Addabbo, Joseph Patrick, 1925-1986
Carter, Jimmy, 1924-
Perle, Richard Norman, 1941-
Jones, David C., 1921-
United States. Congress
Places:
United States
Extent:
00:49:12:00
Link to Item:
https://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_3056B48591A34A048124B4D2466572DB
Terms of Use:
Rights status not evaluated.
Contact host institution for more information.
Publisher:
WGBH Educational Foundation
Identifier:
V_3056B48591A34A048124B4D2466572DB