Abstract
A strategic nuclear weapons programme decided upon in 1980 will not be ready until the 1990s, and could be playing a role in Britain’s defence until well into the next century. While we may think responsible policy on the nuclear programme requires some attempt to anticipate the strategic environment of the twenty-first century, it is more likely that, as in the past, the relevant decisions will reflect current pressures and interests rather than speculation over the future.
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Notes
The story of Britain’s involvement in atomic energy up to 1952 has been well told by the official historian of the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority, Margaret Gowing, Britain and Atomic Energy, 1939–1945 (London: Macmillan, 1964) and the two volumes entitled Independence and Deterrence (London: Macmillan, 1974).
Hansard, vol. 537, col. 2182 (2 March 1955). British policy-making and debates on this matter are admirably described in Andrew Pierre, Nuclear Politics: The British Experience with an Independent Strategic Force, 1939–1970 (London: Oxford University Press, 1970).
See also John Groom, British Thinking about Nuclear Weapons (London: Frances Pinter, 1974).
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© 1980 Royal Institute of International Affairs
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Freedman, L. (1980). The Nuclear Bias. In: Britain and Nuclear Weapons. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-16388-5_1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-16388-5_1
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London
Print ISBN: 978-0-333-30511-9
Online ISBN: 978-1-349-16388-5
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