| Titre | Imaginer l'inimaginable. Guerre nucléaire et stratégie américaine depuis 1945 | |
|---|---|---|
| Auteur | Pierre Mélandri | |
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Revue |
20 & 21. Revue d'histoire Titre à cette date : Vingtième siècle, revue d'histoire |
| Numéro | no 1, janvier 1984 | |
| Rubrique / Thématique | Histoires de l'avenir, 1984 au rendez-vous d'Orwell |
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| Page | 57-74 | |
| Résumé anglais |
Imagining the unimaginable. Nuclear war and American strategy since 1945,
Pierre Mélandri
Since 1945, the American strategy has had to " imagine the unimaginable " : total nuclear war. But not without hesitations and variations when the President, his advisors, Congress and the army confronted each other. Truman envisaged recourse to nuclear arms only as the " last extremity ". In 1954, Eisenhower and John Foster Dulles accepted the idea of " massive retaliation " in order to make deterrence credible. Kennedy and McNamara, on the other hand, as early as 1960, wanted a pure " anti-force " strike, sparing the cities. In 1968, the inevitable " assured destruction " strategy was deemed necessary, but in 1974, its suicidal aspect was already an object of worry. Today, Reagan seems no longer to believe that such a war could be limited. Is the USA really capable to " cope whith history before it happens ", to use H. Kahn's words ? Source : Éditeur (via Persée) |
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| Article en ligne | http://www.persee.fr/web/revues/home/prescript/article/xxs_0294-1759_1984_num_1_1_1766 |
