War and Peace in the Nuclear Age; Interview with James Fulbright, 1986
Description:
J. William Fulbright was a U.S. Senator from Arkansas from 1945-1974, and long-time chairman of the Committee on Foreign Relations. In the interview he discusses the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 and the evolution of U.S. relations with the Soviet Union. He describes being called to Washington, along with Armed Services Committee chairman Richard Russell, for consultations with President Kennedy just before he publicly announced the Cuba blockade -- and his realization that the President had already made up his mind and was only conferring with them as a courtesy. He argues that the continued embargo of Cuba as well as certain other aspects of U.S. relations with small countries are inadvisable and make the U.S. look like a bully. In his view, the effect of the missile crisis was to contribute to the arms race, and he urges American officials to pay more attention to arms control negotiations with the Soviet Union as well as try to better understand Russian psychology. He also comments on America's ideological fixation with Communism. At various points, he remarks on the thinking and personalities of key figures such as Kennedy, Khrushchev, and Castro. He recalls the political situation in Cuba before the Cuban Revolution of 1959, and speculates on whether the U.S. in any way pushed Castro toward Communism. He also discusses the growing control exercised by the military industrial complex over the U.S. political landscape, and is shocked by the amount of money being spent on political campaigns.
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