ABSTRACT
In the late 1970s, the West went through the period of greatest internal controversy since World War II concerning its military relationship with the Soviet Union. In itself, controversy about Western military security requirements was nothing new. Both the nature of the nuclear revolution and of the Soviet adversary had long been a subject of contending theories. When seeking the origins of the assumptions underlying military doctrine, the role played by images is key. The intimate link between military doctrine and images may not always be obvious even to the trained observer. The most important of the theological debates during the period in question was that about the essence of nuclear deterrence. Its importance stemmed not from the fact that there was anything essentially new in the issues being debated. While the differences have sometimes been the subject of heated controversy, they have, until relatively recently, had remarkably little impact on detailed policy debates and outcomes.
