Confrontation and Cooperation, c1963–1972: Cooperation Flashcards
Timeline of events
• 1961
- Sino-Soviet split
• 1962
- Cuban Missile Crisis
• 1963
- US, USSR, UK and France were only nuclear powers
- Summer - report by General Leon Johnson estimated that nuclear war between two nations in 1963/64 would result in a combined 93 million casualties
- June - Washington-Moscow hot-line set up
- August - Moscow Test Ban Treaty
- November - Kennedy is assassinated
• October 1964
- Khrushchev is ousted
- PRC successfully test their first nuclear bomb
• 1967
- LBJ first to use hot-line during Six Day War to tell Soviets he was considering sending air support to Israel
• July 1968
- Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty
• 1968-1970
- Most countries in UN sign Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty
- France and China privately agree
• 1990s
- France continues to test nuclear weapons in south Pacific ocean
• 1992
- France and China sign Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty
• 1996
- China stop testing nuclear weapons in south Pacific ocean
When was the Cuban Missile Crisis?
- 1962
What pressures did Khrushchev and Kennedy face prior to the Cuban Missile Crisis which affected their foreign policy?
- Both interested in peaceful coexistence
• Khrushchev
- More interested in improving Soviet economy and standards of living
- Challenged by Mao Zedong who claimed he wasn’t revolutionary enough
- Had to show strong anti-western stance to maintain Soviet dominance in communist world
• Kennedy
- Had to adopt strong anti-communist stance to appease opposition
What were Kennedy’s attitudes towards the USSR and nuclear weapons following the Cuban Missile Crisis?
- Believed US should focus on avoiding nuclear war, rather than trying to win one
- Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD) encouraged nuclear equality
- Wanted to prevent spread of nuclear weapons to more irrational countries
What report confirmed Kennedy’s beliefs on nuclear weapons?
- Summer 1963
- Presented by General Leon Johnson, director of National Security Council’s Net Evaluation Subcommittee
- ‘Neither the US nor the USSR can emerge from a full scale nuclear exchange without suffering very severe damage and high casualties.’
- Estimated that nuclear war between two nations in 1963/64 would result in a combined 93 million casualties
Which countries were nuclear powers by 1963?
- USA
- USSR
- UK
- France
When was Kennedy assassinated? How did these affect nuclear weapon discussions?
- November 1963
- Delayed talks but didn’t prevent them
What were Khrushchev’s attitudes towards the US and nuclear weapons following the Cuban Missile Crisis?
- Wanted US-Soviet relations to be based on mutual restraint, rather than brinkmanship
- Conciliation important due to Sino-Soviet split (1961) and realisation that foreign policy wasn’t fixed after reconciliation with Tito in Yugoslavia
When was Khrushchev ousted? How did these affect discussions with the US?
- October 1964
- Negotiations persisted under new leadership
When was the Washington-Moscow ‘hot line’ set up? What was its significance?
- June 1963
- Allowed Kennedy and Khrushchev to reach each other 24/7
- Avoided delays in communication like during the Cuban Missile Crisis
- Symbolised new spirit of co-operation
- First used by Johnson in 1967, when he alerted the Soviets that the USA was considering sending air support to Israel in the Six-Day War
Moscow Test Ban Treaty
- August 1963
- Above-ground, underwater and outer space nuclear testing was prohibited
- Underground tests were not prohibited, difficult to detect and differentiate from earthquakes
- No on-site inspections, shows trust
- First collective agreement to establish some limitations on the nuclear arms race
- France and China refuse to sign
- Both continued to test nuclear weapons in south Pacific: France well into the 1990s; China until 1996
When did the PRC first successfully test a nuclear bomb?
- October 1964
Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty
- July 1968
- Signatories agreed to not share nuclear technology or assist non-nuclear states in developing nuclear weapons
- This prevented non-nuclear states from forming alliances with nuclear states
- Most countries in UN signed between 1968 and 1970
- France and China didn’t sign until 1992, but privately agreed to adhere to terms in 1968
Why did countries want to cut back on nuclear weapons?
- They were expensive
- Many conflicts (e.g Vietnam War) used guerrilla warfare where nuclear weapons not effective
