At the beginning : Churchill, Roosevelt and Truman -- Nuclear deterrence or preventive war? : Eisenhower's choice -- John F. Kennedy : from crisis to triumph to tragedy -- Lyndon Johnson : the offense-defense riddle -- Richard Nixon : only connect -- Gerald Ford : a time to plant -- Jimmy Carter : the limits of presidential power -- The Reagan revolution in nuclear weaponry -- George H.W. Bush : managing the Soviet succession -- Bill Clinton : facing new threats -- George W. Bush : overthrowing the old order.