Winning armageddon: Curtis Lemay and Strategic Air Command, 1948-1957

"Winning Armageddon tells the story of General Curtis E. LeMay's advocacy for nuclear first strikes while leading the U.S. Air Force's Strategic Air Command. LeMay argued for striking first in a nuclear conflict--but only if and when it was clear that the enemy was preparing to launch their own surprise attack. This approach, commonly referred to as preemption, was designed to catch an attacker off-guard and prevent the destruction of one's own nation. LeMay hoped that rather than plunging the world into a fruitless nuclear exchange he could diffuse the conflict at its outset"--

This book provides definition to an all-too-long neglected figure of the Cold War, General Curtis E. LeMay, and tells the story of his advocacy for nuclear first strikes while leading Strategic Air Command-the Cold War Air Force's nuclear organization.