When China was a ‘rogue state’: the impact of China's nuclear weapons program on US–China relations during the 1960s

TLDR: In this article, the authors examined declassified US national security documents and found that both presidents Kennedy and Johnson actively considered preventive and preemptive war against China because of China's progress in developing nuclear weapons.

Abstract: Examination of newly available declassified US national security documents reveals that both Presidents Kennedy and Johnson actively considered preventive and preemptive war against China because of China's progress in developing nuclear weapons. This study yields significant conclusions for the broader historiography of the period and also for contemporary theoretical and policy debates. From the perspective of history, it is suggested that China's nuclear weapons program may be a neglected factor in explaining the US decision to fight the Vietnam War. Regarding international relations theory, the case suggests that asymmetric nuclear rivalries may be particularly prone to instability. The implications of this hypothesis for the contemporary debate about missile defense and US–China relations are explored.