Abstract
Dr. George Keyworth, former Scientific Advisor to Ronald Reagan, discusses the controversial Strategic Defense Initiative.
Description
President Ronald Reagan created the Strategic Defense Initiative, known as “Star Wars” to its detractors, in 1983 to protect the United States from a nuclear strike. The program envisioned the use of a space-based defense system to shield the United States from an attack by nuclear missiles. Despite widespread criticism that the imagined technology was unrealistic, SDI became a top priority of the Reagan administration. Central to the progress of the initiative was Dr. George Keyworth, who served for four years as President Reagan’s Science Advisor and was an early and ardent advocate of the program. Shortly after retiring from his position with the White House, Dr. Keyworth sat down with host Peter Krogh to discuss the controversy surrounding SDI, scientific breakthroughs, and the future of science in America’s defense and foreign policies.
Location
Russia; Former Soviet Union;
