War and Peace in the Nuclear Age

Last updated

War and Peace in the Nuclear Age is a 1989 PBS television series focusing on the effect of nuclear weapons development on international relations and warfare during the Cold War. [1] The 13-part series [2] was funded by the Annenberg/CPB Project and produced by WGBH in Boston in association with NHK and Central Independent Television. The New York Times called it "public television's equivalent of a nuclear explosion," praising it as "intelligently conceived and fastidiously balanced." [3]

Contents

Episodes [4]

No.TitleAir dateDescriptionTopics
1"Dawn"January 23, 1989Scientists worldwide race to create nuclear weapons and be the first to use them in World War II. Fascism, World War II, The Manhattan Project, The Blitz, Strategic bombing, Victory in Europe Day, Victory over Japan Day, Trinity (nuclear test), Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
2"The Weapon of Choice"January 30, 1989The United States and the Soviet Union, once allies, become Cold War adversaries. Soviet atomic bomb project, Operation Crossroads, Greek Civil War, Marshall Plan, Operation Sandstone, 1948 Czechoslovak coup d'etat, Berlin Blockade, RDS-1, Thermonuclear weapon, Julius and Ethen Rosenberg, McCarthyism, Klaus Fuchs, Chinese Communist Revolution, Korean War
3A Bigger Bang for the BuckFebruary 6, 1989In the 1950s the United States begins to rely heavily on nuclear weapons for defense after the launch of the Soviet satellite Sputnik sparks fears of a "missile gap." Presidency of Dwight D. Eisenhower, Tactical nuclear weapon, Massive retaliation, Lockheed U-2, Sputnik 1, Ballistic missile, 1960 U-2 Incident
4Europe Goes NuclearFebruary 13, 1989France and England race to acquire nuclear weapons during the 1950s and 1960s; NATO worries about defending Europe from the threat from the East. Atomic Energy Act of 1946, Atomic Energy Research Establishment, Operation Hurricane, French Indochina, Suez Crisis, Operation Grapple, Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, May 1958 crisis in France, Gerboise Bleue, Canopus, Warsaw Pact, Hungarian Revolution of 1956
5At the BrinkFebruary 20, 1989During the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, America and the Soviet Union are each close to initiating nuclear war. Cuban Missile Crisis, Cuba/Soviet Union Relations, Bay of Pigs Invasion, Berlin Wall, Tsar Bomba
6The Education of Robert McNamaraFebruary 27, 1989Robert S. McNamara confronts the spectre of nuclear war during his tenure as Secretary of Defense (1961-1968). Strategic Rocket Forces, SM-62 Snark, SM-65 Atlas, North American XB-70 Valkyrie, Convair B-58 Hustler, LGM-30 Minuteman, Berlin Blockade, Flexible response, Counterforce, Nuclear triad, Assassination of John F. Kennedy, Nike Zeus, Nike-X, LIM-49 Spartan, Sprint, Anti-ballistic missile, 41 for Freedom, Yankee-class submarine
7One Step ForwardMarch 6, 1989As the U.S. and Soviet nuclear arsenals reach a rough parity, SALT I, the first arms control agreement, is negotiated. Stanley R. Mickelsen Safeguard Complex, Strategic Arms Limitation Talks, Detente, Vietnam War, Linkage, Anti-ballistic missile, Safeguard program, MIRV, 1972 visit by Richard Nixon to China
8The Haves and the Have NotsMarch 13, 1989A case study of the dynamics of nuclear proliferation -- China, India and Pakistan race to acquire atomic weapons. Nuclear weapons and Israel, Operation Opera, Nuclear proliferation, Atoms for Peace, India and weapons of mass destruction, International Atomic Energy Agency, China and weapons of mass destruction, Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, Sino-Indian War, Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, 1973 Oil Crisis, Nuclear Non-Proliferation Act of 1978, Soviet-Afghan War
9Carter's New WorldMarch 20, 1989Jimmy Carter's goals for his presidency include the reduction of nuclear weapons and improving America's relations with the Soviet Union. Rockwell B-1 Lancer, Strategic Arms Limitation Talks, R-36 missile, First Strike (1979 film), LGM-118 Peacekeeper, Ogaden War, Visit by Den Xiaoping to the United States, Iran hostage crisis, Soviet-Afghan War
10Zero HourMarch 27, 1989Soviet leader Gorbachev accepts President Reagan's proposal for both sides to dismantle certain missiles. MGM-31 Pershing, RSD-10 Pioneer, Neutron bomb, NATO Double-Track Decision, Cruise missile, Protect and Survive, Anti-nuclear protests, Strategic Defense Initiative, Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty
11Missile ExperimentalApril 3, 1989Supporters and critics of the MX missile discuss its role and how it could best be used. LGM-118 Peacekeeper, SM-65 Atlas, LGM-30 Minuteman, Launch on Warning, Peacekeeper Rail Garrison, Air-launched ballistic missile, Strategic Arms Limitation Talks, Dense Pack, Nuclear Triad, MGM-134 Midgetman
12Reagan's ShieldApril 10, 1989President Reagan supports the Strategic Defense Initiative as a means of eliminating the threat of nuclear attack. Strategic Defense Initiative, Railgun, Nuclear Freeze Campaign, Safeguard Program, Korean Air Lines Flight 007, Moscow Summit (1988), Airborne Laser, Evil Empire Speech
13Visions of War & PeaceApril 17, 1989Nations face the challenge of resolving disputes without nuclear weapons or physical force. Early-warning radar, Glasnost, Mikhail Gorbachev, First Strike (nuclear strategy), Nuclear proliferation

Interviews

The program features interviews throughout with the following individuals.

Abdul Sattar George Whelan Anderson, Jr. Petra Kelly
Agha Shahi Georgy Arbatov Phillip Morrison
Albert Carnesale Gerald E. Miller Pierre Marie Gallois
Albert Wohlstetter Gerd Schmuckle Pierre Messmer
Aleksandr Bovin Glenn T. Seaborg Raja Ramanna
Alexander Alexeyev Han Xu Randall Forsberg
Alun Gwynne Jones, Baron Chalfont Hans Apel Ray S. Cline
Andrei Gromyko Hans Bethe Raymond L. Garthoff
Andrew Goodpaster Harold Brown Richard C. Hottelet
Ash Carter Harry Rowen Richard Nixon
Bernard T. Feld Helmut Schmidt Richard Perle
Bernard W. Rogers Henry Kissinger Richard Pipes
Bertrand Goldschmidt Henry M. Jackson Roald Sagdeev
Carl Friedrich von Weizsacker Herbert York Robert McNamara
Caspar Weinberger Homi Sethna Robert R. Bowie
Chester Victor Clifton, Jr. Isidor Isaac Rabi Roger Hilsman
Clark Clifford Jack Ruina Roger Makins, 1st Baron Sherfield
Cyrus Vance James A. Abrahamson Roswell Gilpatric
David L. Aaron James Callaghan Royal B. Allison
David M. Jones James R. Schlesinger Rudolf Peierls
David Owen Jerome Wiesner Russell E. Dougherty
David Powers Jimmy Carter Sergey Kapitsa
Dean Rusk John Eisenhower Sidney Drell
Denis Healey Joseph Nye Subramanian Swamy
Donald Soper K. Subrahmanyam Ted Sorensen
E. P. Thompson Kenneth Nichols Thomas Hinman Moorer
Edward Teller Lakshmi Kant Jha Valentin Falin
Egon Bahr Leslie H. Gelb Victor Weisskopf
Eugene Carroll Lew Allen Vladimir Lomeiko
Evgeny Velikhov Lynn E. Davis Vladimir Semyonov
Frank A. Camm Maurice Schumann Wilhelm Grewe
Frank Roberts McGeorge Bundy William Kaufmann
Gennadi Gerasimov Morarji Desai William T. Fairbourn
George A. Keyworth II Norman Cousins William Van Cleave
George Ball Norris Bradbury Wolf Graf von Baudissin
George Bunn Paul Nitze Zbigniew Brzezinski
George Shultz Paul Warnke

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Samantha Smith</span> American child peace activist (1972–1985)

Samantha Reed Smith was an American peace activist and child actress from Manchester, Maine, who became famous for her anti-war outreaches during the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union. In 1982, Smith wrote a letter to the newly appointed General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, Yuri Andropov, and received a personal reply with an invitation to visit the Soviet Union, which she accepted.

<i>The Atomic Cafe</i> 1982 documentary film

The Atomic Cafe is a 1982 American documentary film directed by Kevin Rafferty, Jayne Loader and Pierce Rafferty. It is a compilation of clips from newsreels, military training films, and other footage produced in the United States early in the Cold War on the subject of nuclear warfare. Without any narration, the footage is edited and presented in a manner to demonstrate how misinformation and propaganda was used by the U.S. government and popular culture to ease fears about nuclear weapons among the American public.

<i>The World at War</i> 1973 British television documentary series

The World at War is a 26-episode British documentary television series that chronicles the events of the Second World War. Produced in 1973 at a cost of £900,000, it was the most expensive factual series ever made at the time. It was produced by Jeremy Isaacs, narrated by Laurence Olivier and included music composed by Carl Davis. The book, The World at War, published the same year, was written by Mark Arnold-Forster to accompany the TV series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michio Kaku</span> American theoretical physicist, futurist and author

Michio Kaku is an American physicist, science communicator, futurologist, and writer of popular-science. He is a professor of theoretical physics at the City College of New York and the CUNY Graduate Center. Kaku is the author of several books about physics and related topics and has made frequent appearances on radio, television, and film. He is also a regular contributor to his own blog, as well as other popular media outlets. For his efforts to bridge science and science fiction, he is a 2021 Sir Arthur Clarke Lifetime Achievement Awardee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WGBH-TV</span> PBS member station in Boston

WGBH-TV, branded GBH or GBH 2 since 2020, is the primary PBS member television station in Boston, Massachusetts, United States.

Audio description, (AD) also referred to as a video description, described video, or more precisely visual description, is a form of narration used to provide information surrounding key visual elements in a media work for the benefit of blind and visually impaired consumers. These narrations are typically placed during natural pauses in the audio, and sometimes overlap dialogue if deemed necessary. Occasionally when a film briefly has subtitled dialogue in a different language, such as Greedo's confrontation with Han Solo in the 1977 film Star Wars: A New Hope, the narrator will read out the dialogue in character.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Nitze</span> American government official

Paul Henry Nitze was an American businessman and government official who served as United States Deputy Secretary of Defense, U.S. Secretary of the Navy, and Director of Policy Planning for the U.S. State Department. He is best known for being the principal author of NSC 68 and the co-founder of Team B. He helped shape U.S. Cold War defense policy over the course of numerous presidential administrations.

<i>Degrassi High</i> 1989 Canadian teen drama television series

Degrassi High is a Canadian television series created by Linda Schuyler and Kit Hood. The third entry in the Degrassi teen drama franchise and the direct continuation of Degrassi Junior High, it aired on the CBC for two seasons from November 6, 1989 to February 28, 1991 and on PBS in the United States starting from January 13, 1990. Like its predecessor, it was a non-union show produced by Playing With Time with involvement from WGBH.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">M. G. K. Menon</span> Indian physicist

Mambillikalathil Govind Kumar Menon also known as M. G. K. Menon, was a physicist and policy maker from India. He had a prominent role in the development of science and technology in India over four decades. One of his most important contributions was nurturing the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai, which his mentor Homi J. Bhabha founded in 1945.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Norman Cousins</span> American political journalist, author, professor, and advocate

Norman Cousins was an American political journalist, author, professor, and world peace advocate.

Harriet Sansom Harris is an American actress known for her theater performances and for her portrayals of Bebe Glazer on Frasier and Felicia Tilman on Desperate Housewives.

<i>Fetch! with Ruff Ruffman</i> American animated television series

Fetch! with Ruff Ruffman is an American live-action/animated television series that aired on PBS Kids Go! and is largely targeted toward children ages 6–10. It is a reality-game show hosted by Ruff Ruffman, an animated anthropomorphic dog who dispenses challenges to the show's real-life contestants. The series ran from May 29, 2006, to November 4, 2010 on PBS across five seasons and 100 episodes, and featured 30 contestants. Although a sixth season was planned, with auditions taking place in January 2010, WGBH announced on June 14, 2010 that the series would end due to lack of funding. In June 2008, the series received its first Emmy for Best Original Song for its theme.

Dr. Randall Caroline Forsberg led a lifetime of research and advocacy on ways to reduce the risk of war, minimize the burden of military spending, and promote democratic institutions. Her career started at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute in 1968. In 1974 she moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts to found the Institute for Defense and Disarmament Studies (IDDS) as well as to launch the national Nuclear Freeze campaign.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raphael Sbarge</span> American actor

Raphael Sbarge is an American actor and filmmaker. He is perhaps best known for his roles as Jake Straka on The Guardian (2001–04), Jiminy Cricket / Dr. Archibald Hopper on Once Upon a Time (2011–18) and Inspector David Molk on the TNT series Murder in the First (2014–16). He is also known for voicing Carth Onasi in Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (2003), RC-1262 / "Scorch" in Star Wars: Republic Commando (2005) and Kaidan Alenko in the Mass Effect trilogy (2007–12).

Military action against Iran is a controversial topic in Israel and the United States. Proponents of a strike against Iran point to the threat presented by Iran's nuclear program as a casus belli. Many Israelis, and particularly hardline politicians such as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, American neoconservatives, Iranian dissidents support military action to stop the program or go further to overthrow the regime. Opposition to military action is often based in pacifism, but some who are opposed to military action against Iran are opposed for other reasons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jack F. Matlock Jr.</span> American diplomat (born 1929)

Jack Foust Matlock Jr. is an American former ambassador, career Foreign Service Officer, teacher, historian, and linguist. He was a specialist in Soviet affairs during some of the most tumultuous years of the Cold War, and served as the U.S. Ambassador to the Soviet Union from 1987 to 1991.

Elizabeth Deane is a writer, producer and director of documentary films for PBS, specializing in American history. She is based primarily at WGBH-TV in Boston, with work ranging from presidential politics to biographies and musical history.

<i>Degrassi Junior High</i> season 1 Season of Degrassi Junior High

The first season of Degrassi Junior High, a Canadian teen drama television series, aired in Canada from January 18, 1987, to May 3, 1987, consisting of thirteen episodes. The series follows the lives of a group of seventh and eighth grade school children attending the titular school as they face various issues and challenges such as child abuse, homophobia, teenage pregnancy, and body image. Filming for the season began on 8–10 July 1986 in Etobicoke, Ontario and wrapped in the winter of 1986.

References

  1. "War and Peace in the Nuclear Age - GBH Openvault". WGBH-TV's Open Vault. Retrieved 2023-08-18.
  2. "Video: The History of the Bomb - TIME". Time. 2011-05-24. Archived from the original on 2011-05-24. Retrieved 2023-08-18.
  3. "Review/Television; Nuclear Arms and the Superpowers (Published 1989)" . New York Times . 1989-01-23. Retrieved 2023-08-18.
  4. "War and Peace in the Nuclear Age - TheTVDB.com". thetvdb.com. Retrieved 2024-06-23.