War and Peace in the Nuclear Age; Zero Hour; Interview with James Callaghan, 1987

Part of War and Peace in the Nuclear Age.

11/26/1987

James Callaghan, Baron Callaghan of Cardiff, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1976-1979. In the interview he describes some of the issues, disagreements and personal dynamics that arose at several NATO summits, particularly the London Summit of May 1977 and the Guadalupe Summit of January 1979. At the latter meeting, difficulties grew out of Carters unrealistic hopes that the Europeans would support U.S. policy with a unified view, whereas the British, French and Germans each had their own approaches to the subjects of arms control and dealing with the Soviet Union. Asked about the relationship between President Carter and German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt, Mr. Callaghan describes Schmidts growing disillusionment with Washingtons economic policies, and comments on the two leaders different personal temperaments. He denies that Schmidt lost respect for Carter. He goes on to describe both men in positive terms. On nuclear policy, Mr. Callaghan recalls Schmidts October 1977 speech calling into question the reliability of the U.S. nuclear umbrella over Europe. He describes the SALT II process, explaining the views of the main European countries, and notes that England would have been willing to deploy U.S. nuclear weapons on its territory in the absence of an agreement from Moscow that would withdraw Soviet weapons behind the lines of Europe. He discusses the question of replacing Polaris missiles with Tridents, describes his views about the flexible response doctrine and notes his support for the current INF treaty. He admits that he did not foresee that difficulties that faced center-left administrations in Europe over the Euromissile crisis. Mr. Callaghan talks about developments since both he and President Carter left office in 1980-1981. He notes that changing leaderships can bring great swings in international relations and in public opinion, voices his belief that a steadier course would be more beneficial, especially in dealing with the Soviet Union on arms control. He recalls one of his favorite slogans in the arena of international affairs: Our relationship with the Soviet Union should be to cooperate where we can, and compete where we must, recognizing that the systems are different.

License Clip

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Series

War and Peace in the Nuclear Age

Program

Zero Hour

Program Number

110

Title

Interview with James Callaghan, 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 and Soviet Secretary Gorbachev sign the INF Agreement to eliminate an entire class of nuclear weapons from Europe. No one had expected the European Missile Crisis to end this way.

The story begins in 1979, when the Western Allies were worried about the Soviet Union’s buildup of SS-20 nuclear missiles aimed at Western Europe. Under pressure from the Carter Administration, NATO issued a threat, if the SS-20s were not removed, NATO would install new American missiles in Europe. The threat revived the dormant anti-nuclear movement in Western Europe, giving them an anti-American tone. In 1981, President Reagan made a proposal that the US would cancel deployment of the missiles if the Soviet Union would dismantle all the intermediate range missiles it had pointed at Europe. This was the “zero-zero” option. The Soviet Union was entering a period of change with three leaders dying in three years. In 1986 Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev offered to accept the “zero-zero” option and in 1987 the INF agreement was signed.

Duration

00:18:22

Asset Type

Raw video

Media Type

Video

Subjects

Trident (Weapons systems)

Giscard d'Estaing, Valery, 1926-

Reagan, Ronald

SS-4 Missile

Intermediate-range ballistic missiles

Brezhnev, Leonid Il'ich, 1906-1982

Carter, Jimmy, 1924-

Great Britain

F-111 (Jet fighter plane)

London Economic Summit (1984)

Gelb, Leslie H.

France

International relations

Flexible response (Nuclear strategy)

Germany

Afghanistan

SS-5 Missile

Soviet Union. Treaties, etc. United States, 1987 December 8

Ford, Gerald R., 1913-2006

Schmidt, Helmut, 1918 Dec. 23-

Nuclear weapons

Strategic Arms Limitation Talks II

North Atlantic Treaty Organization

Genres

Topics

Contributors

Callaghan, James, 1912-2005 (Interviewee)

Publication Information

WGBH Educational Foundation

Citation

Chicago: “War and Peace in the Nuclear Age; Zero Hour; Interview with James Callaghan, 1987,” 11/26/1987, GBH Archives, accessed December 22, 2024, http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_22AA44B566844D888F89E1BA4A3F3925.

MLA: “War and Peace in the Nuclear Age; Zero Hour; Interview with James Callaghan, 1987.” 11/26/1987. GBH Archives. Web. December 22, 2024. <http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_22AA44B566844D888F89E1BA4A3F3925>.

APA: War and Peace in the Nuclear Age; Zero Hour; Interview with James Callaghan, 1987. Boston, MA: GBH Archives. Retrieved from http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_22AA44B566844D888F89E1BA4A3F3925

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War and Peace in the Nuclear Age; Zero Hour; Interview with James Callaghan, 1987