"In the aftermath of 9/11, the potential terror of weapons of mass destruction - from nuclear, biological, and chemical to dirty bombs - preoccupies national security experts. In Chemical warfare, Frederic J. Brown presents a cogent, innovative framework for understanding the historical forces that have restrained the use of WMD and how they continue to have relevance today. Analyzing both world wars, he argues that the restraints on use were complex and often unpredictable and ranged from the political to the technological...written at the height of controversy about the U.S. use of chemicals in Vietnam, Chemical warfare offers a valuable historical perspective, as relevant now in it analysis of chemical and also nuclear policy as it was when first published." -- From page 4 of cover.

"Originally published in 1968 by Princeton University Press" -- Title page verso. "First issued in hardback 2017" -- Title page verso.

Introduction to the [2006] Transaction edition -- Acknowledgments -- Introduction -- Part I : World War I : The heritage of war : Record of use -- Formation of restraints -- Military perspectives -- Fears for the future - escalation -- Part II : The interwar years : The aftermath of war : Drafting the peace -- American industry and propaganda -- The Washington Arms Conference -- Institutionalization within the military -- The evolution of policy : 1922-1939 : External stimulants -- Internal review -- Restraints at the outbreak of war : Military unpreparedness -- The problem of Civil defense -- Unrealistic threat perception -- Public opposition -- A tenuous legal restraint -- Part III : The test of World War II : Confirmation of restraints 1939-1942 : Hesitation 1939-1941 -- Reevaluation after Pearl Harbor -- British chemical warfare policy -- German chemical warfare policy -- Japanese chemical warfare policy -- The crucial test mid-1945 : The success of minimum deterrence -- The new environment in 1945 -- Restraints on employment -- Ineffective restraints -- Summary and conclusions.