War and Peace in the Nuclear Age; One Step Forward; Interview with Sidney Drell, 1986

Part of War and Peace in the Nuclear Age.

03/04/1986

Sidney Drell is a theoretical physicist and arms control expert who was a member of, or consultant to, a number of governmental boards and councils, including the National Security Council. The principal focus of this interview is anti-ballistic missile defense. Asked about public and congressional involvement in the issue during the Nixon years, he believes it peaked because the concept entailed major missile deployments near cities, which generated deep misgivings. This was one of two cases he recalls in which public reactions influenced policy (the other being opposition to atmospheric testing starting in the 1950s). Dr. Drell discusses the different challenges of defending silos versus population centers, and specifically covers the Safeguard defense system, which he studied at one time in an official capacity. He also discusses at length basic strategic concepts that were in play in the 1970s, and includes his assessments of how to decrease U.S. strategic vulnerabilities. Dr. Drell describes his experiences as part of a group of scientists formed by Henry Kissinger to discuss ABM and other issues. He goes into detail about the group's conclusions, including his own reactions to the implicit acknowledgement embodied in the ABM treaty that the U.S. government "would not try to defend the American people." He closes by looking ahead to the prospects for arms control, which he sees as necessarily focusing on deterrence while working towards eventual disarmament.

License Clip

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Series

War and Peace in the Nuclear Age

Program

One Step Forward

Program Number

107

Title

Interview with Sidney Drell, 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

01:32:44

Asset Type

Raw video

Media Type

Video

Subjects

Smith, Gerard C.

Intercontinental ballistic missiles

Multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles

Kissinger, Henry, 1923-

Cooper, John Sherman, 1901-1991

Antimissile missiles

Soviet Union. Treaties, etc. United States, 1972 May 26 (ABM)

Strategic Arms Limitation Talks II

United States. Presidents Science Advisory Committee

Genres

Topics

Contributors

Drell, Sidney D. (Sidney David), 1926- (Interviewee)

Publication Information

WGBH Educational Foundation

Citation

Chicago: “War and Peace in the Nuclear Age; One Step Forward; Interview with Sidney Drell, 1986,” 03/04/1986, GBH Archives, accessed November 21, 2024, http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_CB9BD9CAF61F4203A7AB5D3BDBFEAEC3.

MLA: “War and Peace in the Nuclear Age; One Step Forward; Interview with Sidney Drell, 1986.” 03/04/1986. GBH Archives. Web. November 21, 2024. <http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_CB9BD9CAF61F4203A7AB5D3BDBFEAEC3>.

APA: War and Peace in the Nuclear Age; One Step Forward; Interview with Sidney Drell, 1986. Boston, MA: GBH Archives. Retrieved from http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_CB9BD9CAF61F4203A7AB5D3BDBFEAEC3

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War and Peace in the Nuclear Age; One Step Forward; Interview with Sidney Drell, 1986