U.S. strategic concepts, SALT, and the Soviet threat: A primer

Abstract

American attitudes toward questions of nuclear strategy are given by several highly divergent schools of thought. This article traces the influence of the “overkill” thesis upon official U.S. strategic doctrine, in general, and upon the posture that the current administration has assumed in the SALT II negotiations, in particular. The author identifies the basic assumptions of this negotiation strategy and subjects them to a searching evaluation and critique. His conclusion is that any likely SALT II agreement will result in a continued deterioration of the strategic balance between the United States and the Soviet Union with very serious implications for the politico‐security interests of Washington.