Atomic Audit - The Costs and Consequences of U.S. Nuclear Weapons Since 1940

Based on four years of extensive research, Atomic Audit is the first book to document the comprehensive costs of U.S. nuclear weapons, assembling for the first time anywhere the actual and estimated expenditures for the program since its creation in 1940. The authors provide a unique perspective on U.S. nuclear policy and nuclear weapons, tracking their development from the Manhattan Project of World War II to the present day and assessing each aspect of the program, including research, development, testing, and production; deployment; command, control, communications, and intelligence; and defensive measures. They also examine the costs of dismantling nuclear weapons, the management and disposal of large quantities of toxic and radioactive wastes left over from their production, compensation for persons harmed by nuclear weapons activities, nuclear secrecy, and the economic implications of nuclear deterrence. Atomic Audit concludes with recommendations for strengthening atomic accountability and fostering greater public understanding of nuclear weapons programs and policies.

About the author

"Stephen I. Schwartz is a guest scholar with the Foreign Policy Studies program at the Brookings Institution and director of the U.S. Nuclear Weapons Cost Study Project."

Summary

Since 1945, the United States has manufactured and deployed more than 70,000 nuclear weapons to deter and if necessary fight a nuclear war. Some observers believe the absence of a third world war confirms that these weapons were a prudent and cost-effective response to the uncertainty and fear surrounding the Soviet Union's military and political ambitions during the cold war.

Product details

• Authors: Stephen Schwartz, Stephen I Schwartz, Stephen I. Schwartz, Stephen I. (EDT) Schwartz, Schwartz Stephen I.
• Assisted by: Stephen I. Schwartz (Editor)
• Publisher: Brookings Institution Press
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 01.04.1998
• EAN: 9780815777748
• ISBN: 978-0-8157-7774-8
• No. of pages: 679
• Dimensions: 197 mm x 241 mm x 38 mm
• Subjects: Non-fiction book > History > Miscellaneous; Social sciences, law, business > Political science > Political science and political administration; USA, HISTORY / Military / United States, HISTORY / Military / Nuclear Warfare, Later 20th century c 1950 to c 1999, United States of America, USA, Nuclear weapons, c 1945 to c 2000 (Post-war period)