So it was no surprise that Mao began seeking his own atomic bombs—aiming to make sure that he would never be dependent on the Soviet arsenal. Naturally, a nuclear-armed China posed a threat to America, but it also posed a threat to the Soviet Union. The Johnson administration thought about inviting the Soviets to jointly strike Lop Nor, the Chinese nuclear testing site. William C. Foster, the director of the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency, said in one recently declassified memo that “if we could get together with the USSR, the Chinese could be handled even if it required an accidental
...more
