Strategy and arms control

This classic work was first published by the Twentieth Century Fund and is republished with a new Preface by the authors that provides the perspectives of 1985. "This study is an attempt to identify the meaning of arms control in the era of modern weapons.... These opening words of the authors' introduction serve both to indicate the subject matter of the present volume and underline its critical importance.
This work outlines the first coherent framework for understanding the relationships between security, defense, and arms control. The authors also provide a framework for evaluating arms control proposals and for determining if these proposals are in the security interests of the United States. The original book grew out of the deliberations of a group of prominent physical and social scientists who met at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Endicott House, near Boston. The group was brought together under the auspices of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and was supported by the Twentieth Century Fund. Pergamon-Brassey's decided to republish this book (called a "virtual classic" by Jack Ruina of M.I.T.) when discussions with Washington policymakers and scholars throughout the world in dicated that a new generation of students and respon sible officials wanted these insights available.

The authors' original analysis has stood the test of time extraordinarily well. In fact, one might conclude that had the book's lessons been learned, the history of nuclear arms control would not currently resemble an erratic roller coaster. Strategy and Arms Control can now once again contribute to the continuing debate about the appropriate role of arms control in a world dominated by the fear of nuclear weapons and the desire for peace and security.