Germany and the Future of Nuclear Weapons in Europe

Interpreting missile defence: A comparative study of European reactions

“…This was widely reported in the West German press. This crystallized the West German nuclear dilemma: dependent on the US nuclear deterrent for its security against conventional attack but acutely vulnerable in the event of a nuclear war (Kamp 1995).…”

“…From 1953 onwards some of the US's nuclear weapons were based on West German soil. As part of the negotiations on joining NATO however, a commitment was made in 1954 that West Germany would not produce atomic, biological or chemical weapons on its territory (Kamp 1995), however despite this commitment to non-production, possession of nuclear weapons was not ruled out by some politicians. In 1957 Adenauer horrified the general public, scientists and the Social Democrats by appearing to suggest that German troops should have 'small' nuclear weapons (Schwarz 1991: 266-9).…”

“…The question of West German nuclear participation was raised again in 1963 with an American proposal for a multinational NATO fleet armed with Polaris nuclear missiles. The West Germans were enthusiastic seeing the proposal as an opportunity to gain more say over NATO nuclear strategy, but their European allies were much less keen on the prospect of West Germany entering the nuclear club by the back door, even though the US had proposed the MLF precisely to stop West Germany demanding its own nuclear posture (Kamp 1995).…”