Cabinets and the Bomb

The nuclear weapons question runs through post-1940 British history like an irradiated thread. It represents part of the hidden history of twentieth-century Britain, given the high level of technical secrecy and political sensitivity in which the bomb was - and is - embedded. This volume publishes previously classified Cabinet papers and related archives, dealing with the first theoretical scientific breakthrough in 1940, through the A-bomb and H-bomb procurements, to the Polaris missile upgrading decisions of the 1970s. The story is brought up to date in Peter Hennessy's narrative, which covers developments up to the spring of 2007. The fascination of the book lies in its uncovering the very private internal themes, debates and justifications for Britain's being a nuclear weapons power exchanged between ministers, civil servants, diplomats, scientists, military and intelligence officers. There is a strong element of now-it-can-be-told in the book, which will appeal not just to professional historians but also to undergraduates and A-Level students who are partaking in the current mini-boom on the study of the Cold War. Cabinets and the Bomb is also a contribution to wider public understanding in the context of the present debate about Trident upgrade (though it is a book of explanation, not advocacy).

ISBN 0197264220   Volumes 1 ISBN13 9780197264225 (What's this?)   Weight (grammes) 1364 Publisher Oxford University Press   Published in Oxford Imprint Oxford University Press   Series ISSN 11 Format Paperback   Series title British Academy Occasional Papers Publication date 01 Nov 2007   Height (mm) 296 Library of Congress U   Width (mm) 210 DEWEY 355.8251190941   Spine width (mm) 20 DEWEY edition DC22   Academic level Undergraduate, Professional / Scholarly Pages 368

		Preface
		Introduction by Michael Quinlan
		The Nuclear Certificate		1
		Chronology		7
		Fission 1940-53		23
		Fusion 1954-58		87
		Delivery 1958-63		128
		Polaris Politics 1963-67		148
		Moscow Criterion 1967-77		219
		Polaris to Trident 1978-2005		323
		Upgrade 2005-07		331
		Conclusion		343
		Appendix: The Intelligence Aspects		344
		Notes		347
		List of documents and illustrations		352

The declassified papers offer an extraordinary perspective on things that were long secret...This is a rich collection that deserves extended study. Milan Rai, Peace News ...fascinating...Cabinets and the Bomb will appeal to the public as well as to professional historians and researchers and students and others studying the history of the Cold War. Frank Barnaby, Oxford Research Group a remarkable documentary record Oliver Kamm, The Times Online

 Be the first to write a customer review