ABSTRACT
The Soviet perception of flexible response had much to do with the decisions regarding military buildup, as well as with the gradual increase in scale of the Soviet use of military power in support of foreign policy objectives during the latter half of the 1960s. In keeping with the Soviet strategy of desinformatsiya through use of declaratory deterrence, many Soviet statements regarding flexible response were highly propagandists in nature. The overall pattern of the actual Soviet evaluation of flexible response revealed a generally realistic recognition of its nature and purpose. The Soviet response to the US doctrine of flexible response during this period unmistakably reflected a strong Soviet conviction that qualitative and quantitative improvements in Soviet strategic power yielded substantial political returns. The greater degree of freedom for the United States to use its military power under cover of its nuclear umbrella was an object lesson that was not lost on either the Soviet military or the political leadership.
