A current debate in nuclear studies is the extent to which the United States has pursued non-proliferation, the centrality of this goal in US grand strategy, as well as the related goal of US nuclear superiority. Within this debate US-UK nuclear cooperation has received little consideration. This talk will address this gap by analysing US decision-makers views on US-UK nuclear cooperation, US nuclear superiority and non-proliferation policy, from its beginnings in the Manhattan project to the purchase of Trident. The talk will examine the ways in which US decision-makers viewed cooperation alongside strategies of extended deterrence, non-proliferation, and alliance politics but also the often-muddled decisions that led to agreements on nuclear technology transfers.

Dr Suzanne Doyle is a Lecturer in International Relations at the University of East Anglia (UEA). She completed her PhD, on the United Kingdom’s purchase of the US Trident missile system, in 2016 at UEA. Suzanne’s work has featured in a range of publications including the Journal of Strategic Studies and The International History Review. Her research interests include nuclear history, transatlantic relations, US and British defence policy, security studies and the Cold War. She completed her MA in Research Methods and International Relations at Durham University and holds an honours degree in Modern History and International Relations from the University of St Andrews. Suzanne is currently working on a monograph analysing the UK’s purchase of Trident missiles from the United States.