GBH Openvault
War and Peace in the Nuclear Age; Carter's New World; Interview with Aleksandr Evgenevich Bovin, 1986
Part of War and Peace in the Nuclear Age.
12/16/1986
Aleksandr Bovin was a Soviet journalist, a speechwriter for Leonid Brezhnev, and a diplomat who served as Soviet and Russian ambassador to Israel. He offers Soviet reactions (Brezhnev's in particular) to President Nixon and the policy of detente, then discusses the effects of various issues on that policy for example, the Soviet military buildup of the 1960s, the Vietnam war, and U.S.-China relations. He later talks about detente's effect on Soviet-European relations and the various developments that helped undermine the policy. Other individuals discussed are Henry Kissinger, Jimmy Carter and Zbigniew Brzezinski. Other topics include the effect of the Third World on U.S.-Soviet relations, the importance of SALT II, the lack of a window of vulnerability, and unrealistic conceptions about the possibility for limited nuclear war.
License Clip
- Series
- War and Peace in the Nuclear Age
- Program
- Carter's New World
- Program Number
107, 109
- Title
Interview with Aleksandr Evgenevich Bovin, 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 Carter comes to office determined to reduce the number of nuclear weapons and to improve relations with the Soviet Union. His frustrations are as grand as his intentions.
Carter had hoped the United States and the Soviet Union would reduce their reliance on nuclear weapons. He stopped production of the B-1 bomber. He believed the SALT II negotiations would be a step toward eliminating nuclear weapons. But his intentions were frustrated by Soviet actions and by a lack of consensus among his own advisors, including Chief SALT II negotiator Paul Warnke and national security advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski (who was dubious about arms control). Carter balanced Soviet aggression in Africa by improving American relations with China. He withdrew SALT II treaty from Senate consideration but its terms continued to serve as general limits on strategic nuclear force levels for both the United States and the Soviet Union.
- Duration
01:02:46
- Asset Type
Raw video
- Media Type
Video
- Subjects
- United States
- Nuclear weapons
- Strategic Arms Limitation Talks II
- Soviet Union
- Brezhnev, Leonid Il?ich, 1906-1982
- Watergate Affair, 1972-1974
- Carter, Jimmy, 1924-
- Nixon, Richard M. (Richard Milhous), 1913-1994
- Soviet Union. Treaties, etc. United States, 1972 May 26 (ABM)
- Afghanistan
- Communism
- China
- Multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles
- International relations
- Brzezinski, Zbigniew, 1928-
- Vance, Cyrus R. (Cyrus Roberts), 1917-2002
- Nuclear arms control
- Kissinger, Henry, 1923-
- Strategic Defense Initiative
- McNamara, Robert S., 1916-2009
- Schlesinger, James R.
- Strategic Arms Limitation Talks
- Weinberger, Caspar W.
- Vietnam War, 1961-1975
- Reagan, Ronald
- Detente
- Locations
- Moscow, Russia
- Genres
- Documentary
- Topics
- War and Conflict
- History
- Science
- Global Affairs
- Contributors
- Bovin, Aleksandr Evgenevich (Interviewee)
- Publication Information
- WGBH Educational Foundation
- Citation
- Chicago: “War and Peace in the Nuclear Age; Carter's New World; Interview with Aleksandr Evgenevich Bovin, 1986,” 12/16/1986, GBH Archives, accessed April 23, 2024, http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_D3F1DCCFEEB048DC8F40CFFAE3F03DAE.
- MLA: “War and Peace in the Nuclear Age; Carter's New World; Interview with Aleksandr Evgenevich Bovin, 1986.” 12/16/1986. GBH Archives. Web. April 23, 2024. <http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_D3F1DCCFEEB048DC8F40CFFAE3F03DAE>.
- APA: War and Peace in the Nuclear Age; Carter's New World; Interview with Aleksandr Evgenevich Bovin, 1986. Boston, MA: GBH Archives. Retrieved from http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_D3F1DCCFEEB048DC8F40CFFAE3F03DAE