Planning Armageddon

Britain, the United States and the Command of Western Nuclear Forces, 1945-1964

By: Len Scott, Stephen Twigge, Stephen Robert Twigge

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Hardcover | 9 March 2000 | Edition Number 1

At a Glance

Hardcover
386 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
22.9 x 15.2 x 2.24

Hardcover

RRP $337.70

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The procedures and plans governing the use of Britain's nuclear weapons are fundamental to our understanding of British defence policy. Throughout the Cold War, questions relating to when, where and how British nuclear weapons would ever be used remained hidden from public scrutiny. In addressing these questions, this volume provides a detailed account of Britain's command, control, communications and intelligence infrastructure. A central theme of the book is the British-American atomic relationship and its implications for NATO strategy. Based on the recollections of officials and military officers in both Britain and the USA, and employing declassified government documents, the work presents a systematic analysis of British involvement in nuclear planning from Hiroshima to the development of Polaris. At the same time, it provides an examination of the operational weaknesses of the British nuclear deterrent and the potential hazards presented by unwarranted secrecy.

Industry Reviews

"(This book) is both a fascinating and frightening history of how many good and able people struggled with exceptional risk and the most demanding and highly complex intellectual and practical issues to prevent Armageddon. How close was it?." -Rt Hon. Sir Frank Cooper of Chislehurst, UK "At long last Twigge and Scott have taken a major step towards meeting the requirement for a comprehensive history and analysis of British nuclear weapons operations in the Cold War era...Using rigorous scholarship, access to recently released documents, and interviews with some of those involved in the key decisions, Twigge and Scott have put together a richly textured and detailed study of Britain's early attempts to manage and operate its nuclear weapons." -Shaun Gregory of University of Bradford, UK (International Affairs)

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