The Interpretation of Soviet Nuclear Weapons Policy

This research guide emphasizes interpretations of Soviet nuclear weapons policy by Western authors rather than original Soviet sources. It includes a chapter which discusses Soviet publications on nuclear weapons and gives a listing of translated Soviet materials on the subject. But Soviet sources are incomplete and contradictory, ranging from assertions of the nonutility of nuclear weapons to detailed assessments of their utility in tactical combat. As a result, they can be read in many different ways, depending upon one’s basic premises about the Soviet Union.