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Eisenhower's disarmament dilemma: from chance for peace to open skies proposal
President Eisenhower's image as a promoter of ‘peace and nuclear disarmament’ was established through speeches he made such as ‘Atoms for Peace’ (December 1953) and ‘Open Skies’ proposal (July 1955). However, Eisenhower's approach to the subject cannot be grasped without an understanding of his attitude towards the relationship between arms, war and disarmament. As he saw it, not only would the mere existence of nuclear weapons not trigger a war, they were actually the best guarantee against the eruption of a global conflagration. The real threat to world security was the repressive, closed, totalitarian and expansionist Soviet regime. War could be prevented only by a dramatic change in the competing - and threatening - ideology and social structure embedded in the Soviet system. Until then, the existence of nuclear weapons would ensure the free world's safety.
History
Publication status
- Published
Journal
Diplomacy and StatecraftISSN
0959-2296Publisher
Taylor & FrancisExternal DOI
Issue
2Volume
12Page range
175-196Department affiliated with
- History Publications
Full text available
- No
Peer reviewed?
- Yes