NSC-68

E1017

NSC-68 was a pivotal 1950 U.S. national security policy paper that called for a massive military buildup and global containment strategy against Soviet expansion during the early Cold War.


Statements (49)
Predicate Object
instanceOf Cold War policy document
United States national security policy paper
advocates global rather than regional containment
approvedBy Harry S. Truman
approvedByBody United States National Security Council
archivedAt Harry S. Truman Presidential Library
associatedWithPeriod early Cold War
callsFor development and maintenance of nuclear superiority
large increase in defense spending
massive peacetime military buildup
mobilization of U.S. economy for defense
psychological and political warfare measures
strengthening of alliances
characterizesUSSRAs expansionist power
ideological threat to the United States
classifiedStatus Top Secret (at time of adoption)
commissionedBy Harry S. Truman
countryOfOrigin United States
dateCompleted 1950-04-07
declassified 1975
differsFrom George F. Kennan’s limited containment approach
documentNumber NSC 68
draftedBy United States National Security Council
governmentBranch Executive branch of the United States
historicalSignificance foundation of U.S. high Cold War militarization
ideologicalFraming struggle between freedom and slavery
influenced Korean War military buildup
U.S. defense spending in the 1950s
United States Cold War strategy
language English
opposedBy some contemporary budget-conscious officials
policyFocus Cold War military strategy
containment of the Soviet Union
global containment strategy
nuclear deterrence
policyType grand strategy document
predecessor George F. Kennan’s containment concept
principalAuthor Paul Nitze
producedFor United States President
regionOfImpact global
relatedTo United States containment policy
United States nuclear strategy
arms race between the United States and the Soviet Union
securityContext perceived Soviet atomic capability
post–World War II power vacuum
subjectOf historical analyses of U.S. Cold War policy
title United States Objectives and Programs for National Security
usedAsJustificationFor long-term high U.S. defense expenditures
year 1950

Referenced by (9)
Subject (surface form when different) Predicate
New Look defense policy ("NSC 162/2")
New Look defense policy ("NSC 68 (as predecessor for containment framework)")
relatedDocument
Containment
codifiedIn
NSC-68 ("NSC 68")
documentNumber
Long Telegram ("“The Sources of Soviet Conduct”")
followedBy
Cold War
hasKeyDocument
Paul Nitze
notableWork
Truman Doctrine
relatedTo
NSC-68 ("United States Objectives and Programs for National Security")
title

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