Danger and Survival: The Political History of the Nuclear Weapon ANNOTATION
Careful historical reconstruction and commentary on the most important choices in our history - contributing to our understanding of the political role of nuclear weapons.
FROM THE CRITICS
Publishers Weekly
Written by the controversial former special assistant for national security under presidents Kennedy and Johnson, this major work is essentially a political history of the superweapon era from the earliest atomic research to ``the false hope of future safety in Reagan's dream of a space shield.'' Bundy sheds light on the Cuban missile crisis, emphatically pointing out that nothing like it has occurred in the ensuing quarter-century. Although there have been conspicuous moments of superpower tension since, Bundy argues that the risk of all-out nuclear warfare has lessened with each succeeding decade as ``the tradition of non-use grows stronger.'' In his upbeat view, Washington and Moscow are learning to respect the nuclear danger and to practice, if not always preach, coexistence. Bundy also convincingly disputes several atomic myths, among them that President Truman delivered an atomic ultimatum in 1946 over the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Iran, and that Truman came close to using the bomb during the Korean War. (Nov.)
Library Journal
Bundy has been involved in the nuclear debate since 1945 in several capacitiesuniversity teacher, special assistant to two U.S. presidents during the nuclear crises in Berlin and Cuba, and president of the Ford Foundation. This political history of the nuclear age highlights the choices made by scientists and statesmen of the major powers. From the decision to develop and use the bomb against Japan, to Reagan's fanciful Star Wars defense, the analysis is revealing. A critic of Reagan, Bundy also scolds the president for selective truth telling, and maintains that in the nuclear world strategic parity, not superiority, is the key to future peace. The flow of the narrative suffers at times from Bundy's what if's; nonetheless, highly recommended. Dennis Felbel, Univ. of Manitoba Lib., Winnipeg
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