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Abstract: Despite the ominous troop strength of the Soviet Union in post-war Europe, domestic political and economic factors precluded Western European nations from accepting a US plan to increase NATO troop levels. The stage was set for a Western European defense based significantly on nuclear deterrence. This historical case details the factors which, in the early 1950s, set NATO on the nuclear path.
Learning Objective: The case allows for discussion both of military strategy and the ethical dimensions of NATO's choice.