Britain, Germany, and western nuclear strategy

the long version

This book gives a comprehensive account of post-war British and German policies towards nuclear weapons and how these interacted in the context of alliance strategy. In this fascinating explanation of an important, but previously unresearched topic, the author gives a detailed account of major episodes in the evolution of the alliance and its doctrine - such as the MLF debate, the origins of flexible response, theatre modernization programmes - and demonstrates how British and German interests impinged upon these episodes. On occasion, these interests converged; at others, they diverged and Britain and Germany took on the role of protagonists. In all of this, one of the less well-known nuclear relationships within the alliance comes vividly into focus. The book tells this part of the alliance's story for the first time, and, in the accounts of the development of German strategy, brings a refreshingly new perspective to the predominant Anglo-American interpretations.