War and Peace in the Nuclear Age; Reagan's Shield; Interview with Edwin Firmage, 1987

Part of War and Peace in the Nuclear Age.

11/13/1987

Edwin Firmage was a law professor at the University of Utah who studied nuclear weapons, and the great-great-grandson of Brigham Young. In the interview he discusses his opposition to, and the national debate concerning, the MX Missile system. He explains the position and actions of the Mormon Church, of which he is a member, as well other organizations that came together to oppose the MX missile being based in Utah. The reasons for opposition included spiritual, environmental, and strategic. He explains that this opposition came as a surprise to the Air Force and the government, because Utah is a notably conservative state that supports the Air Force and is strong on national security. He believes that the plan to deploy the MX in Utah revealed a first strike capability, which poses danger since it relies entirely on the idea of deterrence but does nothing to protect from accidental or irrational nuclear attack.

License Clip

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Series

War and Peace in the Nuclear Age

Program

Reagan's Shield

Program Number

112

Title

Interview with Edwin Firmage, 1987

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

00:57:44

Asset Type

Raw video

Media Type

Video

Subjects

McCarthy, James P., General

United States. Dept. of Defense

Sierra Club

Fairbourn, William T.

Utah

Environmental protection

Antinuclear movement

Weinberger, Caspar W.

Multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles

Chayes, Antonia Handler, 1929-

Strategic Arms Limitation Talks II

Nuclear weapons -- Testing

National Audubon Society

Nuclear weapons

United States

MX (Weapons system)

United States. Air Force

Allen, Lew, 1925-2010

Intercontinental ballistic missiles

United States. Congress

Locations

Genres

Topics

Contributors

Firmage, Edwin Brown (Interviewee)

Publication Information

WGBH Educational Foundation

Citation

Chicago: “War and Peace in the Nuclear Age; Reagan's Shield; Interview with Edwin Firmage, 1987,” 11/13/1987, GBH Archives, accessed April 19, 2024, http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_E36DB7D14B144CB68C57402EDCF38746.

MLA: “War and Peace in the Nuclear Age; Reagan's Shield; Interview with Edwin Firmage, 1987.” 11/13/1987. GBH Archives. Web. April 19, 2024. <http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_E36DB7D14B144CB68C57402EDCF38746>.

APA: War and Peace in the Nuclear Age; Reagan's Shield; Interview with Edwin Firmage, 1987. Boston, MA: GBH Archives. Retrieved from http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_E36DB7D14B144CB68C57402EDCF38746

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War and Peace in the Nuclear Age; Reagan's Shield; Interview with Edwin Firmage, 1987