avoiding recourse to strategic nucl-ear weapons in so far as possible. 31f' The question of tactical nuclear weapons hras debated rithin the NATo al-1iance. The alleged preventive and- d.eterrent chanacter of such weapons was ueighed againsttile risk of l-owering the nuclear threshold. !,lhen the doctrine of flexible response r^ras announced, this in practice inplied the existence of flexible andeffective conventional foxces, if necessary supported by tacticaL nuclear fire-power. The doctrine stated that each case of aggression would be d.ealt with ind.ependentl-y . It meart that recourse to nucl,ear weapons was not automatic, butnot unthinkable when conventional forces were on the point of being overwhefmed bythe severity of an enemy attack, 3]2. At the .leve)- of total waro the United States Secretsry of Defense,Mr. Robert McNamara, extended. his notion cf control and restraj.nt by talking about 33/ This concept was used. both by United States Secretary of Defense McNsmara and by General Norsted within NATO,^/3J /392 Eng1i sh Annex .Pag.c 107 attackinG onry rnilitary talgets in case of war, rn a speech in 1952 he declared: "The United States has come to the conclusion that to the extent feasible,basic nifitary st'aregy in a possible generar nuclear war should be anrroachedin nuch the same way that nore conventional military operations have beenregardeo in the pasL. That is to say, principal military objecLives, in Lheevent of a nucfear war stenming from a major attack on the rilliance, shouldbe Lhe d.esLruction of the eneny's military forces" nor of iLs civilianpopulatlon. The very strengttr and nature of the AUiance forces nake itpossib.le for us to retain, even in the face of a massive suTprise attack,sufficient reserve striking power to destroy an enefiy society if driven to it.In other words, ve are giving a possible opponent the strongest imaginab.Ieincentive to refrain frorn striking our o&'n cities.rt 14,/
**Analysis**
The text appears to be discussing military strategy and the use of nuclear weapons, specifically in the context of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the United States. The language used is technical and focuses on the concept of "flexible response" and the idea of using nuclear weapons only as a last resort. The text also mentions the idea of targeting enemy military forces rather than civilian populations.

**Category**
Defense, Science and technology