The Partnership: Five Cold Warriors and Their Quest to Ban the Bomb

Offering a clear analysis of the danger of nuclear terrorism and how it can be prevented, The Partnership sheds light on one of the most divisive security issues facing Washington today. Award-winning New York Times journalist Philip Taubman illuminates our vulnerability in the face of this pressing terrorist threat—and the unlikely efforts of five key Cold War players to eliminate the nuclear arsenal they helped create. Bob Woodward calls The Partnership a “brilliant, penetrating study of nuclear threats, present and past,” and David Kennedy writes that it is “indispensable reading for all who would understand the desperate urgency of containing the menace of nuclear proliferation.”
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A terrorist attack with nuclear weapons is the mostdangerous security issue America faces today—andwe are far more vulnerable than we realize. Driven bythis knowledge, five men—all members of the Cold Warbrain trust behind the U.S. nuclear arsenal—have cometogether to combat this threat, leading a movement thatis shaking the nuclear establishment and challengingthe United States and other nations to reconsider theirstrategic policies.

Illuminating and thought-provoking, The Partnershiptells the little-known story of their campaign to reducethe threat of a nuclear attack and, ultimately, eliminatenuclear weapons altogether. It is an intimate look at thesemen—Henry Kissinger, George Shultz, Sam Nunn,William Perry, and the renowned Stanford physicist SidneyDrell—the origins of their unlikely joint effort, and theirdealings with President Obama and other world leaders.Award-winning journalist Philip Taubman explores themotivations, past conflicts, and current debates that drive,and sometimes strain, their bipartisan partnership.Through their stories, he examines the political andtechnological currents that shaped nuclear strategy duringthe Cold War—including the 1986 Reykjavik summit,at which Reagan and Gorbachev narrowly missed a landmarkagreement to eliminate nuclear weapons—andilluminates how the end of that conflict gave rise to thedangerous realities of today. He reveals the heated discussionstaking place in Washington and in nuclear-weaponslaboratories, and spotlights current threats and the franticefforts of America and its allies to prevent the spread offissile materials.

Meticulously researched and compellingly told, The Partnership demands that we turn our attention to an issuethat has the potential to alter our world order. PhilipTaubman has provided an important and timely storyof science, history, and friendship—of five men whohave decided the time has come to dismantle the nuclearkingdom they worked to build.

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“The Partnership artfully weaves the threads of five notable lives into a fascinating account of nuclear strategizing over the last five decades. This unfailingly compelling narrative is indispensable reading for all who would understand the desperate urgency of containing the menace of nuclear proliferation.” - David Kennedy, Professor of History Emeritus, Stanford University

“This brilliant, penetrating study of nuclear threats is in the tradition of David Halberstam and Neil Sheehan. Taubman has, perhaps as importantly, unlocked the history of the war we never had. Readers will tremble at the dangers the world has faced and still faces today.” - Bob Woodward

“A fascinating portrait of an unlikely coalition of disarmament crusaders . . . . Mr. Taubman describes in chilling detail the threat of these terrible weapons falling into the worst possible hands.” - The Wall Street Journal

“A fascinating, haunting book. . . . Even for skeptics, Taubman’s book provides an important public service by concentrating on nuclear perils that continue to slip our day-to-day notice. . . . Thought-provoking.” - The New York Times Book Review

“Taubman ably revisits many of the classic set pieces of the Cold War-the Cuban missile crisis, the Jasons scientific-advisory team, the nuclear alert during the 1973 Arab-Israeli war, and the 1986 Reagan-Gorbachev summit at Reykjavik.” - The San Francisco Chronicle

“An even-handed look at a convoluted history that is still unfolding. . . . Taubman does a clean job of reducing the elements to layman’s terms. . . . Taubman had unparalleled access to the five men profiled here. . . . It makes for intriguing reading.” - The Los Angeles Times

“Taubman provides a cogent and chilling summary of the threat of nuclear weapons in the twenty-first century.” - The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

“A richly detailed account of one of the most important issues of our time, The Partnership should be on the bedside of every presidential candidate, national affairs journalist and engaged citizen.” - Tom Brokaw