Albert Wohlstetter
Encyclopedia
Albert Wohlstetter was an influential and controversial nuclear strategist during the Cold War
. He was major intellectual force behind efforts to deter nuclear war and avoid the further spread of nuclear weapons to more nations. He and his wife Roberta Wohlstetter
, an accomplished historian and intelligence expert, received the Presidential Medal of Freedom
from Ronald Reagan
on November 7, 1985. He was one of the inspirations for the film Dr. Strangelove.
, Wohlstetter earned degrees from the City College of New York
and Columbia University
in the 1930s. During the 1940s, he worked with the War Production Board
, at Atlas Aircraft Products Company and, after World War II, at the General Panel Corporation of California.
From 1951 to 1963, he served first as a consultant and later as a senior policy analyst for the RAND Corporation, and maintained his affiliation with RAND for years afterward. At RAND, he researched how to posture and operate U.S. strategic nuclear forces to deter plausible forms of Soviet nuclear-armed aggression in way that was credible, cost-effective and controllable.
Wolhstetter's 1958 'The Delicate Balance of Terror' was highly influential in shaping the thinking of the Washington foreign policy establishment, particularly in its emphasis on the looming threat of Soviet attack.
In the 1960s and 1970s, he expanded the scope of his research to include alliance policy and nuclear nonproliferation, ballistic missile defense, innovation in military technology, peacetime military competitions, and military potential and economics of civil nuclear energy.
In the 1980s, Wohlstetter frequently criticized proponents of mutual assured destruction
who supported targeting of nuclear weapons on civilians and cities instead over enemy combatants and military forces.
Wohlstetter and his wife, Roberta Morgan Wohlstetter, also counseled both Democratic and Republican administrations, including advisers to President John F. Kennedy
during the Cuban missile crisis
in 1962. They received the Presidential Medal of Freedom
from Ronald Reagan
on November 7, 1985.
During his long career, Wohlstetter also taught at UCLA and the University of California, Berkeley
, in the early 1960s. From 1964 to 1980, he taught in the political science department of the University of Chicago
, and chaired the dissertation committees of Paul Wolfowitz
and Zalmay Khalilzad
. He is often credited with influencing a number of prominent members of the neoconservative movement, including Richard Perle
(who, as a teenager, dated Wohlstetter's daughter Joan).
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
. He was major intellectual force behind efforts to deter nuclear war and avoid the further spread of nuclear weapons to more nations. He and his wife Roberta Wohlstetter
Roberta Wohlstetter
Roberta Mary Morgan, better known by her married name of Roberta Wohlstetter, , was one of America's most important historians of military intelligence. Her most influential work is Pearl Harbor: Warning and Decision. The former secretary of defense, Donald Rumsfeld, is said to have required that...
, an accomplished historian and intelligence expert, received the Presidential Medal of Freedom
Presidential Medal of Freedom
The Presidential Medal of Freedom is an award bestowed by the President of the United States and is—along with thecomparable Congressional Gold Medal bestowed by an act of U.S. Congress—the highest civilian award in the United States...
from Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
on November 7, 1985. He was one of the inspirations for the film Dr. Strangelove.
Career
A native of New York, New YorkNew York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, Wohlstetter earned degrees from the City College of New York
City College of New York
The City College of the City University of New York is a senior college of the City University of New York , in New York City. It is also the oldest of the City University's twenty-three institutions of higher learning...
and Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
in the 1930s. During the 1940s, he worked with the War Production Board
War Production Board
The War Production Board was established as a government agency on January 16, 1942 by executive order of Franklin D. Roosevelt.The purpose of the board was to regulate the production and allocation of materials and fuel during World War II in the United States...
, at Atlas Aircraft Products Company and, after World War II, at the General Panel Corporation of California.
From 1951 to 1963, he served first as a consultant and later as a senior policy analyst for the RAND Corporation, and maintained his affiliation with RAND for years afterward. At RAND, he researched how to posture and operate U.S. strategic nuclear forces to deter plausible forms of Soviet nuclear-armed aggression in way that was credible, cost-effective and controllable.
Wolhstetter's 1958 'The Delicate Balance of Terror' was highly influential in shaping the thinking of the Washington foreign policy establishment, particularly in its emphasis on the looming threat of Soviet attack.
In the 1960s and 1970s, he expanded the scope of his research to include alliance policy and nuclear nonproliferation, ballistic missile defense, innovation in military technology, peacetime military competitions, and military potential and economics of civil nuclear energy.
In the 1980s, Wohlstetter frequently criticized proponents of mutual assured destruction
Mutual assured destruction
Mutual Assured Destruction, or mutually assured destruction , is a doctrine of military strategy and national security policy in which a full-scale use of high-yield weapons of mass destruction by two opposing sides would effectively result in the complete, utter and irrevocable annihilation of...
who supported targeting of nuclear weapons on civilians and cities instead over enemy combatants and military forces.
Wohlstetter and his wife, Roberta Morgan Wohlstetter, also counseled both Democratic and Republican administrations, including advisers to President John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
during the Cuban missile crisis
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis was a confrontation among the Soviet Union, Cuba and the United States in October 1962, during the Cold War...
in 1962. They received the Presidential Medal of Freedom
Presidential Medal of Freedom
The Presidential Medal of Freedom is an award bestowed by the President of the United States and is—along with thecomparable Congressional Gold Medal bestowed by an act of U.S. Congress—the highest civilian award in the United States...
from Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
on November 7, 1985.
During his long career, Wohlstetter also taught at UCLA and the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
, in the early 1960s. From 1964 to 1980, he taught in the political science department of the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
, and chaired the dissertation committees of Paul Wolfowitz
Paul Wolfowitz
Paul Dundes Wolfowitz is a former United States Ambassador to Indonesia, U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense, President of the World Bank, and former dean of the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University...
and Zalmay Khalilzad
Zalmay Khalilzad
Zalmay Mamozy Khalilzad is a counselor at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and president of Khalilzad Associates, an international business consulting firm based in Washington, DC. He was the United States Ambassador to the United Nations under President George W. Bush...
. He is often credited with influencing a number of prominent members of the neoconservative movement, including Richard Perle
Richard Perle
Richard Norman Perle is an American political advisor, consultant, and lobbyist who began his career in government, a senior staff member to Senator Henry “Scoop” Jackson on the Senate Armed Services Committee in the 1970’s...
(who, as a teenager, dated Wohlstetter's daughter Joan).
External links
- Online library of Wohlstetter's works at the RAND Corporation
- Albert Wohlstetter Dot Com, a website that examines the careers and writings of the late Albert and Roberta Wohlstetter.