DOI: https://doi.org/10.17721/2524-048X.2025.30.5

 

Abstract. The purpose of this article is to discuss the revision of the U.S. national security strategy by Eisenhower administration in 1953, the factors that influenced this process, the continuity and changes in the strategic approaches, compared to Truman administration. Among other things, the authors sought to understand how this process was affected by the changes in the Soviet leadership following Stalin’s death.

Methodology. This is a qualitative empirical research, based on a critical analysis of primary historical sources: U.S. strategic documents of 1948–1953, President Eisenhower’s speeches, and policy papers, reports and correspondence related to the activities of the National Security Council in 1953. The research topic is studied against the background of key developments in U.S.-Soviet relations in 1953.

The scientific novelty of this research includes a rethinking of the factors that influenced the revision of the U.S. national security strategy during the first year of Eisenhower administration based on primary sources, some of which were never used to study this issue before.

Conclusions. During Eisenhower first administration, containment strategy in the version of NSC 68/2 (1950) was replaced by the «New Look» strategy described in the NSC 162/2 (October 30, 1953). The need to revise the strategy was driven by calculations that the financial and fiscal policies associated with the significant increase in U.S. military spending during the Korean War would eventually cause serious economic problems. The new strategy had to address two major threats: Soviet communist expansion, and economic weakening of the United States. At the same time, the Eisenhower administration consistently maintained the internationalist approach of the free world nations, so federal spending cuts were not to be made at their expense.

The statements of the new Soviet leadership about the possibility of peaceful coexistence between the two systems did not have a significant impact on the revision of U.S. national security strategy. The Eisenhower administration did not believe that the Soviet threat diminished, and was waiting for evidence from the USSR that it was able to abandon its expansionist policies. The first such step was supposed to be the end of the Korean War. Though an armistice agreement in Korea was signed on July 27, the Soviet thermonuclear test on August 12 was a more convincing indication of the USSR’s intentions than the conciliatory statements of its new leaders. As a result, a key component of the «New Look» strategy was the nuclear deterrence of the USSR. This approach allowed the United States to regain strategic initiative while reducing defense spending. This strategy was developed amidst the effective organization of the National Security Council and the implementation of the secret Solarium project. This experience can be useful in the development of strategic and political documents nowadays.

Keywords: United States, national security strategy, foreign policy, Dwight D. Eisenhower administration, Cold War, New Look strategy, Solarium project.

 

Submitted 05.03.2025

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