War and Peace in the Nuclear Age; One Step Forward; Interview with Vladimir Semyonovich Semyonov, 1986

Part of War and Peace in the Nuclear Age.

12/10/1986

Vladimir Semyonov (Semenov) was the first Soviet Ambassador to East Germany, a Deputy Foreign Minister, and Chief Soviet Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT) Negotiator, 1969-1972. He recounts why the USSR entered the SALT I talks and describes the atmosphere as difficult because the process represented the first time in history that such significant problems immediately related to each country's security were being directly addressed. But while the talks were sometimes "rough," there was a clear sense that both sides were genuinely seeking solutions, and the involvement of the highest levels of both governments ensured success, he says. On the other hand, SALT II involved "incomparably more complex" issues. He goes on to criticize the current U.S. administration's moves to increase its armaments, and also explains events such as the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan from the Soviet viewpoint. He acknowledges that the existence of the back channel during SALT I did not simplify things for the main negotiators. Among other points, he discusses the issue of SLBMs, the prospect of a third-country attack, and the concept of linkage to regional events such as the bombing of Cambodia. Asked about Zbigniew Brzezinski's comments that Soviet activities in the Horn of Africa might affect SALT II, he likens Brzezinski's remarks to a dog barking at the moon while the moon is unaware. Turning briefly to World War II, he recalls Joseph Stalin's reactions to Truman's revelation at Potsdam in 1945 about a new, powerful weapon: Stalin understood it as an attempt to gain leverage over the Soviet delegation, he says, and immediately ordered the acceleration of the Soviet nuclear program. Mr. Semyonov also recalls his reaction that the Hiroshima bomb represented a very dangerous step.

License Clip

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Series

War and Peace in the Nuclear Age

Program

One Step Forward

Program Number

107

Title

Interview with Vladimir Semyonovich Semyonov, 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

Soviet and American nuclear forces reach rough nuclear parity in the 1970’s. Each side, pursuing its own interest, negotiates the first successful arms control agreement, SALT I.

In May 1972 President Nixon found himself in Moscow delivering a message of peace and friendship. Nixon announced the first major superpower arms control agreements, SALT I and the Anti-Ballsitic Missile (ABM) treaty. Nixon described his feeling about negotiating with the Soviets. “I didn’t trust the Russians. But I recognized that ... there was no alternative but to have some relationship of ‘live and let live’ between the two superpowers.” Two years after the historic meeting in Moscow, Nixon was forced to resign due to Watergate. ABM silos in the United States were shut down but the production of ballistic missiles armed with multiple nuclear warheads (MIRV’s) contributed to a massive increase in weapons in both the United States and the Soviet Union.

Duration

01:32:47

Asset Type

Raw video

Media Type

Video

Subjects

Ethiopia

Ogarkov, (Marshal) Nikolai Vasilyevich

Detente

Nuclear energy

Rowny, Edward L., 1917-

Brzezinski, Zbigniew, 1928-

China

Stalin, Joseph, 1879-1953

Soviet Union

Strategic Arms Limitation Talks II

Truman, Harry S., 1884-1972

Multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles

Kurchatov, I. V. (Igor Vasil'evich), 1903-1960

Hiroshima-shi (Japan) -- History -- Bombardment, 1945

Warnke, Paul C., 1920-2001

Nuclear arms control

Nixon, Richard M. (Richard Milhous), 1913-1994

Strategic Arms Limitation Talks

Nitze, Paul H.

Nuclear weapons

Kissinger, Henry, 1923-

Summit meetings--Iceland--Reykjavik

Afghanistan

Dobrynin, Anatoly, 1919-2010

Genres

Topics

Contributors

Semenov, V. S. (Interviewee)

Publication Information

WGBH Educational Foundation

Citation

Chicago: “War and Peace in the Nuclear Age; One Step Forward; Interview with Vladimir Semyonovich Semyonov, 1986,” 12/10/1986, GBH Archives, accessed December 3, 2024, http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_3970929F759C433EB5ADA506B023F339.

MLA: “War and Peace in the Nuclear Age; One Step Forward; Interview with Vladimir Semyonovich Semyonov, 1986.” 12/10/1986. GBH Archives. Web. December 3, 2024. <http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_3970929F759C433EB5ADA506B023F339>.

APA: War and Peace in the Nuclear Age; One Step Forward; Interview with Vladimir Semyonovich Semyonov, 1986. Boston, MA: GBH Archives. Retrieved from http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_3970929F759C433EB5ADA506B023F339

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War and Peace in the Nuclear Age; One Step Forward; Interview with Vladimir Semyonovich Semyonov, 1986