On this episode of American Prestige, a discussion about US efforts to maintain nuclear supremacy during the early Cold War.
A mushroom-shaped cloud from the underwater Baker nuclear explosion of July 25, 1946, in the Marshall Islands. (Getty)
EDITOR’S NOTE:
Note: The views expressed here are those of the author alone and do not necessarily represent the views, policies, or positions of the US Department of Defense or its components, to include the Department of the Navy or the US Naval War College.
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On this episode of American Prestige, Danny and Derek welcome back Jonathan Hunt, assistant professor at the U.S. Naval War College and a fellow of the Nuclear Security Program at Yale University, to talk about his book The Nuclear Club, which follows the efforts of a select few world powers to maintain exclusive access to nuclear weapons. This final episode examines President Lyndon Johnson’s approach to nuclear weapons, the 1968 Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and how Vietnam factored into its scope, the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency (ACDA), tactical nuclear weapons, the Treaty of Tlatelolco, and more.
Note: The views expressed here are those of the author alone and do not necessarily represent the views, policies, or positions of the U.S. Department of Defense or its components, to include the Department of the Navy or the U.S. Naval War College.
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On this episode of American Prestige, Jonathan R. Hunt, assistant professor at the US Naval War College and a fellow of the Nuclear Security Program at Yale University, joins us to talk about his book The Nuclear Club, covering the efforts of a select few world powers to maintain exclusive access to nuclear weapons.
In this first part, we discuss US efforts to maintain nuclear supremacy during the early Cold War, nuclear threshold states, nuclear propaganda, and more up until Eisenhower’s “Atoms for Peace” speech.
Note: The views expressed here are those of the author alone and do not necessarily represent the views, policies, or positions of the US Department of Defense or its components, to include the Department of the Navy or the US Naval War College.
Here's where to find podcasts from The Nation. Political talk without the boring parts, featuring the writers, activists and artists who shape the news, from a progressive perspective.
I, for one, welcome our new AI overlords. In this week’s news: the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service confirms last month was tied for the hottest ever recorded (0:52); the Houthis/Ansar Allah take the port city of Mokha (1:45); the U.S. and Iran exchange ship attacks as oil prices rise (5:25); the IAEA refers Iran to the United Nations (7:32); Trump predicts an end to the Iran war immediately after the midterms (8:59); 12 countries ban products made in Israeli settlements (10:52); a new report alleges that Netanyahu ignored October 7 warnings and a chance to recover hostages (13:49); the IDF takes a strategic ridge in Lebanon, then escalates strikes (18:30); an arbitration court rules against India on the Indus Waters Treaty (20:49); new claims of famine emerge in Sudan’s Darfur region (23:05); the Nigerian government and Boko Haram maintain a ceasefire (24:59); the Trump administration phases out U.S. support for anti-AIDS programs in Namibia (27:21); American envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff visit Russia and Ukraine (29:22); Ukraine tries to close Russian airspace (31:20); and in a trade war update, Canadian tariffs on U.S. goods take effect (32:50).
Don't forget Derek's Substack, Foreign Exchanges.
Enjoy Danny's new Substack, Imperialist Realism.
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Daniel BessnerTwitterDaniel Bessner is a historian of US foreign relations and is the author of, among other books, Imperialist Realism.
Derek DavisonDerek Davison is a writer and analyst specializing in international affairs and US foreign policy. He is the publisher of the Foreign Exchanges newsletter, cohost of the American Prestige podcast, and former editor of LobeLog.