The Skybolt Missile Cancellation: An Analysis of Foreign Policy Decision Making in the Kennedy Executive

In December 1962 the Kennedy administration canceled the Skybolt missile program. Skybolt was an air launched ballistic missile being developed by the United States for use by both the US Air Force and the British Royal Air Force. Its abrupt cancellation caused a short "crisis" in Anglo-American relations. The Tory government of Harold Macmillan accused the Kennedy administration of canceling Skybolt to force an end to their independent nuclear deterrent. The American government countered that the decision was based solely on technical and financial grounds. This thesis expands on the questions addressed my previous authors of why Skybolt was canceled and why its cancellation became a "crisis." The present author maintains that the cancellation resulted primarily because of changing military policy instituted by the Kennedy administration and because of heightened disarmament efforts. It is also argued that the mechanics of decision making within the Kennedy executive contributed to the crisis atmosphere.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Arts

Level thesis:degree_level

masters

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

History

Department dc:contributor.department

History

Grantor dc:publisher

Virginia Tech

Year dc:date.issued

1995

Author dc:creator

• Webb, Barry

Chair dc:contributor.committeechair

• Kaufman, Burton I.

Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember

• O'Donnell, J. Dean Jr.
• Nurse, Ronald J.

Statement dc:rights

• In Copyright

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

Language dc:language.iso

en

Dc Identifier Other

etd-01312009-063455

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/40856