Lyndon B. Johnson and the Building of East-West Bridges
Lyndon B. Johnson and the Building of East-West Bridges

Catching up with Détente in Europe 1963–1966

Author(s): Gry Thomasen
Subject(s): Diplomatic history, Political history, Post-War period (1950 - 1989)
Published by: Central European University Press
Keywords: Cold war;National Security Action Memorandum (NSAM) 304;
Summary/Abstract: There is strong evidence that elements of the Lyndon B. Johnson administration’s bridge-building policies toward the Eastern bloc between 1963and 1966 were largely crafted as a response to the early European East-West détente efforts. Primarily, the Johnson administration’s détente policies were about stabilizing the military relationship between the United States and the Soviet Union, as well as influencing and facilitating political developments in Eastern Europe in order to transform the sociopolitical systems in the East; however, U.S. détente policies were also about accommodating the West European allies’ aspirations and demands for more equality in the alliance and a move toward a joint transatlantic détente effort with the East. The latter perspective is unfolded in this chapter. While West European aspirations and interests were diverse, the Johnson administration’s response was about aligning those aspirations to those of the United States and about preserving the cohesion of the alliance.In effect, this effort resulted in a substantial West European influence on the Johnson administration’s bridge-building policies from 1963to 1966

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