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Published on: AS

December 1963

McNamara implements the MAD (Mutual Assured Destruction) strategy: in the event of a sudden Soviet attack, the United States must be able to destroy at least 30% of the Soviet population, 50% of its industrial capacity, and 150 of its cities. No military investments are made to protect American cities, which, combined with the certainty of American retaliation, should reduce the likelihood of a Soviet first preemptive strike.