GBH Openvault

War and Peace in the Nuclear Age; Europe Goes Nuclear; Interview with Wolf Graf von Baudissin, 1986

Part of War and Peace in the Nuclear Age.

11/28/1986

Wolf Graf von Baudissin, who helped establish some of the concepts of the modern German Bundeswehr, became a Commandant of the NATO Defense College from 1963-1965, then served as Deputy Chief of Staff at Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) in the late 1960s. He discusses some of the issues he confronted in the course of setting up the Bundeswehr, including dealing with the existence of tactical nuclear weapons and arguing for a strategy of forward defense. He describes certain differences between his views and those of other allied countries. For example, most of his colleagues initially preferred massive retaliation over flexible response, and he goes on to defend the latter as a concept. More broadly, he cites national differences and traditions as obstacles to NATO coordination, although he considers the United States’ diminishing commitment a bigger concern. He comments on the impact of France’s withdrawal from NATO’s military command and on the buildup of tactical nuclear weapons in Europe, which he ascribes to actions by the U.S. military. He describes the general shock that greeted the NATO exercise “Carte Blanche,” which presented the prospect of “nuclear war under conventional conditions.”

Series

War and Peace in the Nuclear Age

Program

Europe Goes Nuclear

Program Number

104

Title

Interview with Wolf Graf von Baudissin, 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

France and England rush to acquire their own nuclear weapons, NATO worries about the threat from the East, and Europe becomes the most nuclear-saturated place on Earth.

British and American scientists worked side by side to build the first nuclear bombs. “There was a strong desire on the British side for that collaboration to continue into peacetime. There was no such desire on the part of the United States,” recalls British diplomat Roger Makins, Lord Sherfield. Britain decided to proceed on its own and in 1952 joined the US and the Soviets in what pundits would call “the nuclear club.” General Charles De Gaulle, president of France, wanted to join the club, too, and not rely on the US for nuclear protection. Prestige was also an issue. In 1960, France exploded its first atomic weapon. Since World War II the Soviet Union had had a superiority in conventional forces in Europe. NATO countered by deploying thousands of nuclear weapons. “They were accepted as being perfectly reasonable weapons to use in a tactical battle in continental Europe,” said Sir Richard Powell of the British Defense Ministry.

Duration

01:08:58

Asset Type

Raw video

Media Type

Video

Subjects

Warsaw Treaty Organization

McNamara, Robert S., 1916-2009

North Atlantic Treaty Organization

Adenauer, Konrad, 1876-1967

Germany

Lemnitzer, Lyman L. (Lyman Louis), 1899-1988

European Defense Community

United States

Great Britain

France

Hockaday, Arthur

Genres

Documentary

Topics

Science

History

Global Affairs

War and Conflict

Contributors

Baudissin, Wolf, Graf von, 1907-1993 (Interviewee)

Publication Information

WGBH Educational Foundation

Citation

Chicago: “War and Peace in the Nuclear Age; Europe Goes Nuclear; Interview with Wolf Graf von Baudissin, 1986,” 11/28/1986, GBH Archives, accessed April 16, 2024, http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_5B6BF005FF414127B4E3460681A588F9.

MLA: “War and Peace in the Nuclear Age; Europe Goes Nuclear; Interview with Wolf Graf von Baudissin, 1986.” 11/28/1986. GBH Archives. Web. April 16, 2024. <http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_5B6BF005FF414127B4E3460681A588F9>.

APA: War and Peace in the Nuclear Age; Europe Goes Nuclear; Interview with Wolf Graf von Baudissin, 1986. Boston, MA: GBH Archives. Retrieved from http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_5B6BF005FF414127B4E3460681A588F9