War and Peace in the Nuclear Age; One Step Forward

Part of War and Peace in the Nuclear Age.

12/08/1988

FULL MIX / M&E

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Series

War and Peace in the Nuclear Age

Program

One Step Forward

Program Number

107

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

00:66:00

Asset Type

Broadcast program

Media Type

Video

Genres

Topics

Citation

Chicago: “War and Peace in the Nuclear Age; One Step Forward,” 12/08/1988, GBH Archives, accessed December 26, 2024, http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_81B90FF673DC41698A7D1FDA1400ADC7.

MLA: “War and Peace in the Nuclear Age; One Step Forward.” 12/08/1988. GBH Archives. Web. December 26, 2024. <http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_81B90FF673DC41698A7D1FDA1400ADC7>.

APA: War and Peace in the Nuclear Age; One Step Forward. Boston, MA: GBH Archives. Retrieved from http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_81B90FF673DC41698A7D1FDA1400ADC7

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War and Peace in the Nuclear Age; One Step Forward