Publication

This paper examines the Wohlstetter-Blackett debate about the requirements of effective nuclear deterrence. The author first explains that while Wohlstetter adopted a maximalist position, arguing that a large force with second-strike capability was essential to deterrence, Blackett maintainted that a small nuclear force was enough. The author then tests these two positions by analyzing several nuclear confrontations between pairs of nuclear states and argues that they clearly offer much stronger support for Blackett's minimalist case than for Wohlstetter's maximalist one.