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War and Peace in the Nuclear Age; Reagan's Shield; Interview with Evgeny Velikhov, 1986

Part of War and Peace in the Nuclear Age.

12/15/1986

Evgeny Velikhov trained as a theoretical physicist, beginning his career in the early 1960s. He was the Founder and director of the Soviet Nuclear Safety Institute; Vice president of the Soviet/Russian Academy of Science, and Founder of the Committee of Soviet Scientists for Peace and Against the Nuclear Threat. He begins by asserting that the Krasnoyarsk radar was designed for observing space objects and verifying arms agreements. He denies that the USSR is engaged in any kind of anti-satellite work, and offers his views on whether the total elimination of nuclear weapons is possible. He also disagrees with the proposition that Reagan was thrown off by proposals from Gorbachev that were perceived to be impractical. SDI, in his view, is a complex and "contradictory" phenomenon that, among other things, could theoretically become an offensive system. He believes the Americans and Soviets see the basic issues in the same way but has the opinion that group interests play a part in the U.S. but not in the USSR. On matters of testing, his argument is that economic and ideological factors are influencing the Reagan administration in the direction of continuing the arms race. The Soviets are not trying to expand their superiority in conventional weapons, he contends, (and he challenges the presumption of superiority), rather they are trying to reduce all armaments levels, noting that conventional arms are extremely costly.

Series

War and Peace in the Nuclear Age

Program

Reagan's Shield

Program Number

112

Title

Interview with Evgeny Velikhov, 1986

Series Description

The first atomic explosion in the New Mexico desert on July 16, 1945, changed the world forever. This series chronicles these changes and the history of a new era. It traces the development of nuclear weapons, the evolution of nuclear strategy, and the politics of a world with the power to destroy itself.

In thirteen one-hour programs that combine historic footage and recent interviews with key American, Soviet, and European participants, the nuclear age unfolds: the origin and evolution of nuclear weapons; the people of the past who have shaped the events of the present; the ideas and issues that political leaders, scientists, and the public at large must confront, and the prospects for the future. Nuclear Age highlights the profound changes in contemporary thinking imposed by the advent of nuclear weapons. Series release date: 1/1989

Program Description

President Reagan introduces the controversial Strategic Defense Initiative, an idea he believes will make nuclear weapons”Impotent and Obsolete.”

In 1983 President Reagan envisioned a Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) that could intercept and destroy Soviet strategic ballistic missiles before they reached the United States. Skeptics dubbed the idea “Star Wars.” It was hard for Reagan to accept the idea of deterrence based on mutual destruction. He believed SDI offered a solution. His science advisor George Keyworth says SDI was “thoroughly created and invented in Ronald Reagan’s own mind and experience.” According to defense scientist Ashton Carter, “The concept is fine. What is not fine is implying to the public that the solution to the nuclear puzzle is at hand.” SDI became the focus of a national debate about nuclear weapons and nuclear strategy, and a stumbling block in strategic arms control negotiations with the Soviet Union. The final months of the Reagan Administration brought a drastic reduction in the scope and size of SDI efforts.

Duration

00:48:24

Asset Type

Raw video

Media Type

Video

Subjects

Warsaw Treaty Organization

Strategic Defense Initiative

China

Strategic Arms Limitation Talks II

France

Teller, Edward, 1908-2003

Great Britain

Nuclear weapons

Weinberger, Caspar W.

Reagan, Ronald

North Atlantic Treaty Organization

United States

Gorbachev, Mikhail

Soviet Union. Treaties, etc. United States, 1972 May 26 (ABM)

Summit meetings--Iceland--Reykjavik

Chernobyl Nuclear Accident, Chornobyl, Ukraine, 1986

Perle, Richard Norman, 1941-

Soviet Union

Nuclear disarmament

Japan

Nuclear arms control

Locations

Moscow, USSR

Genres

Documentary

Topics

History

Science

War and Conflict

Global Affairs

Contributors

Velikhov, E. P. (Interviewee)

Publication Information

WGBH Educational Foundation

Citation

Chicago: “War and Peace in the Nuclear Age; Reagan's Shield; Interview with Evgeny Velikhov, 1986,” 12/15/1986, GBH Archives, accessed April 20, 2024, http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_7EE1F4A381C74DF4A2E5A0B1F5A0DC9B.

MLA: “War and Peace in the Nuclear Age; Reagan's Shield; Interview with Evgeny Velikhov, 1986.” 12/15/1986. GBH Archives. Web. April 20, 2024. <http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_7EE1F4A381C74DF4A2E5A0B1F5A0DC9B>.

APA: War and Peace in the Nuclear Age; Reagan's Shield; Interview with Evgeny Velikhov, 1986. Boston, MA: GBH Archives. Retrieved from http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_7EE1F4A381C74DF4A2E5A0B1F5A0DC9B