GBH Openvault
War and Peace in the Nuclear Age; Visions of War and Peace; Interview with Arthur Chalfont, 1986
Part of War and Peace in the Nuclear Age.
12/15/1986
In 1964, Lord Chalfont was appointed Minister for Disarmament, serving until 1970. He represented Britain at the Eighteen Nation Committee on Disarmament (ENCD). In the interview he focuses heavily on the evolution and current state of nuclear non-proliferation, beginning with consideration of the Atoms for Peace program. He relates the views of both the nuclear weapons states and the non-nuclear weapons states, especially countries considered to be near nuclear. He describes the British governments plan to kill the Multilateral Force (MLF) strategy for NATO. He explains the negotiating process during the ENCD, and the difference between what occurred at the negotiations and what occurred in bilateral and trilateral discussions (mainly between the U.S., the Soviet Union, and Great Britain) away from the negotiating table. He also looks at how nonproliferation treaties have succeeded and failed since the late 1960s, giving as examples the 1974 Indian nuclear test and Israels attack on the Iraqi nuclear reactor in 1981.
License Clip
- Series
- War and Peace in the Nuclear Age
- Program
- Visions of War and Peace
- Program Number
113
- Title
Interview with Arthur Chalfont, 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
Even in the best international atmosphere, the superpowers face continuing differences about hot to reduce the risk of nuclear war. This final episode analyzes the continuing themes of the nuclear age.
- American attitudes toward nuclear weapons are intertwined with American anxieties about the nature of the Soviet State. - NATO relies on a threat of first use of nuclear weapons in response to an attack even by conventional forces of the Warsaw Pact. - To date, there is no defense against nuclear missiles. - More and more nations are acquiring nuclear technology. - Many people confuse arms control with disarmament.
The challenge of the Nuclear Age is to find a new way for nations to resolve disputes so they will no longer resort to force.
- Duration
01:22:40
- Asset Type
Raw video
- Media Type
Video
- Subjects
- Pakistan
- North Atlantic Treaty Organization
- Nuclear nonproliferation
- Treaty on the Non-proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (1968)
- Carter, Jimmy, 1924-
- Iraq
- Nuclear-weapon-free zones
- Myrdal, Alva, 1902-1986
- Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (1963)
- Goldschmidt, Bertrand
- Eisenhower, Dwight D. (Dwight David), 1890-1969
- Russell, Bertrand, 1872-1970
- Euratom
- Barre, Raymond
- Germany
- Johnson, Lyndon B. (Lyndon Baines), 1908-1973
- Brazil
- Poland
- International Atomic Energy Agency
- Israel
- Gandhi, Indira, 1917-1984
- Nuclear disarmament
- Nuclear weapons
- China
- Great Britain
- Japan
- Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America (1967)
- India
- Nuclear arms control
- Soviet Union
- International relations
- Bhaba, Homi J.
- Kennedy, John F. (John Fitzgerald), 1917-1963
- Nuclear energy
- United States
- Locations
- London, England
- Genres
- Documentary
- Topics
- War and Conflict
- History
- Global Affairs
- Science
- Contributors
- Chalfont, Arthur Gwynne Jones, Baron, 1919- (Interviewee)
- Publication Information
- WGBH Educational Foundation
- Citation
- Chicago: “War and Peace in the Nuclear Age; Visions of War and Peace; Interview with Arthur Chalfont, 1986,” 12/15/1986, GBH Archives, accessed December 22, 2024, http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_FA033C22CAB6400F8F3E56841604E983.
- MLA: “War and Peace in the Nuclear Age; Visions of War and Peace; Interview with Arthur Chalfont, 1986.” 12/15/1986. GBH Archives. Web. December 22, 2024. <http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_FA033C22CAB6400F8F3E56841604E983>.
- APA: War and Peace in the Nuclear Age; Visions of War and Peace; Interview with Arthur Chalfont, 1986. Boston, MA: GBH Archives. Retrieved from http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_FA033C22CAB6400F8F3E56841604E983