The political utility of nuclear weapons in nuclear war termination

This thesis begins with a discussion of the theoretical aspects of nuclear war termination. Specifically, the objective of war termination, the requirements necessary to meet that objective, and the unclassified guidance available on war termination. As a more practical matter, the Soviet view of war termination is then covered. This is followed by a discussion of the goals of the United States in the event of a nuclear war and how those goals may change depending on the scenario. Finally, the surrender of Japan at the end of World War II is analyzed as a case study to determine the significant historical lessons which may be of value in the future. Particular attention is given to the political actions which were taken as a result of the use of nuclear weapons.

Department dc:contributor.department

National Security Affairs (NSA)

Grantor dc:publisher

Monterey, California. Naval Postgraduate School

Year dc:date.issued

1989

Author dc:creator

• Johnston, Mark K.

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Tritten, James J.

Statement dc:rights

• This publication is a work of the U.S. Government as defined in Title 17, United States Code, Section 101. Copyright protection is not available for this work in the United States.

Language dc:language.iso

en_US

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/10945/27212

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:calhoun.nps.edu:10945/27212