Theory and Practice

PREFACE

In March, 1959, while a member of the Society of Fellows, Harvard, I delivered a series of public lectures in Boston, under the auspices of the lowell Institute; these lectures were subsequently broadcast over WGBH, an educational FM station. Overall subject of the series was, 'The Art of Coercion: A Study of Threats in Economic Conflict and War." The following essay was the opening lecture. I have reprinted this lecture as it was delivered on March 10, 1959, almost ten years ago. It was before I cnme to RAND, before I worked on general war "bargaining," or worked on cold wars in the Pentagon, or took part in a hot war in Vietnam: much painful, but mostly relevant, experience. And a lot of relevant history has happened to the world since then -- including successful U.S. coercion in the Cuban missile crisis and disastrous failure against North Vietnam. For these and still other reasons (I've thought more about the problem)