
The Star Wars Enigma
Behind the Scenes of the Cold War Race for Missile Defense
Nigel Hey(Author)
Potomac Books Inc (Publisher)
Published on 1. August 2006
Book
Hardback
288 pages
978-1-57488-981-9 (ISBN)
Description
The year 1982 was a desperate time for the U.S. defense community. The United States had no effective system to protect itself completely from a Soviet attack with nuclear-armed intercontinental ballistic missiles, which the Soviet Union possessed in large quantity, and the doomsday philosophy of mutually assured destruction seemed inescapable. But people in the Reagan administration, including Reagan himself, were not content with what they viewed as a morally unacceptable status quo. Then Adm. James Watkins, a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, asked, "Wouldn't it be better if we could develop a system that would protect, rather than avenge, our people?" With that, the president's commitment to the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) became certain. Ultimately, SDI reflected Western political idealism, a powerful ingredient in the struggle to finally conquer the terrors of the Cold War and to allay the threat of nuclear holocaust. The Star Wars Enigma tells this dramatic story.
Reviews / Votes
"I do not know with what weapons World War III will be fought. But World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones." - Albert Einstein"More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Dulles
United States
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Dimensions
Height: 230 mm
Width: 150 mm
ISBN-13
978-1-57488-981-9 (9781574889819)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
07/2011
Potomac Books Inc
€17.49
Available for download
Person
NIGEL HEY was a science and technology writer and a senior administrator at Sandia National Laboratories until his retirement in 2001. His long career includes writing four science books, contributing hundreds of articles to such publications as Smithsonian and the London Sunday Times, and working for United Press International. He lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Content
Acknowledgements; Shooting Down Nukes; The Sputnik Shake-Up; Lasers Versus Missiles; Reagan Takes the Reins; Sci-Fi Weapons and Strategic Defense; The Presidential Thunderbolt; Reactions, East and West; A Year to Test Nations; Rescuing the Infant SDI; Ronnie, Maggie, and Mike; Showdown at the Chateau; The Beginning of the End; The Velvet Revolution; Bluff, Fear, Confusion, and Hope; Selected Bibliography; Index.