War and Peace in the Nuclear Age; Interview with Michael Carver, 1987
- Raw Footage
- Interview with Michael Carver, 1987
- Contributing Organization
- WGBH (Boston, Massachusetts)
- AAPB ID
- cpb-aacip/15-9882j6898v
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- Description
- Episode Description
- Career military officer Lord Michael Carver reached the top ranks of the British army, serving as Chief of both the General Staff (1971-1973) and the Defence Staff (1973-1976), and attaining the rank of Field Marshall. In the interview he explains that the main problem with flexible response is that it fails to take into account what the enemy's response is likely to be. His skepticism about tactical weapons, he recounts, dates back to the 1950s. On the strategic level, he understands the importance of the nuclear deterrent but says it would be "criminally irresponsible" to assume that one side's first use would be met with only a limited response. He takes exception to Britain's assumption of the responsibility of maintaining an independent strategic strike force. He also faults NATO for consistently underestimating soviet missile and delivery capabilities. The pending INF agreement is "welcome" but not something that he says excites him. He belittles the utility of military exercises that assume nuclear clashes. On the other hand, he recalls that nuclear issues were not a particularly "hot" issue when he was in charge of the army. He closes by explaining the paradox that each side in a nuclear conflict must behave as if it is willing to use its arsenal when all fully realize they will be worse off than if they avoid their use.
- Date
- 1987-11-11
- Date
- 1987-11-11
- Asset type
- Raw Footage
- Subjects
- Germany; North Atlantic Treaty Organization; United States; Great Britain; SS-20 Missile; Polaris (Missile); Trident (Weapons systems); Tactical nuclear weapons; Healey, Denis; McNamara, Robert S., 1916-2009; Schmidt, Helmut, 1918 Dec. 23-; Soviet Union; nuclear weapons; nuclear warfare; Nuclear arms control
- Rights
- Rights Note:,Rights:,Rights Credit:WGBH Educational Foundation,Rights Type:All,Rights Coverage:,Rights Holder:WGBH Educational Foundation
- Media type
- Moving Image
- Duration
- 00:00:00
- Credits
-
-
Publisher: WGBH Educational Foundation
Writer: Carver, Michael, 1915-2001
- AAPB Contributor Holdings
-
WGBH
Identifier: 8b6d20da064d2ca2e21c366b3f39cfa50f60f99c (ArtesiaDAM UOI_ID)
Format: video/quicktime
Color: Color
Duration: 00:00:00
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- Citations
- Chicago: “War and Peace in the Nuclear Age; Interview with Michael Carver, 1987,” 1987-11-11, WGBH, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC, accessed September 8, 2024, http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-15-9882j6898v.
- MLA: “War and Peace in the Nuclear Age; Interview with Michael Carver, 1987.” 1987-11-11. WGBH, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. Web. September 8, 2024. <http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-15-9882j6898v>.
- APA: War and Peace in the Nuclear Age; Interview with Michael Carver, 1987. Boston, MA: WGBH, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. Retrieved from http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-15-9882j6898v