# 'NSC-68': The Blueprint for Permanent War [Socialist History: S1 Episode 3]

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-socialist-program-with-brian-becker-3114087/nsc-68-the-blueprint-for-permanent-war-socialist-history-s1-episode-3
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-socialist-program-with-brian-becker-3114087/nsc-68-the-blueprint-for-permanent-war-socialist-history-s1-episode-3.md
Podcast: [The Socialist Program with Brian Becker](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-socialist-program-with-brian-becker-3114087)
Published: 2026-06-30T10:50:36+00:00
Episode link: https://soundcloud.com/thesocialistprogram/nsc-68-the-blueprint-for
Audio file: https://feeds.soundcloud.com/stream/2350296515-thesocialistprogram-nsc-68-the-blueprint-for.mp3
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Duration seconds: 4013

## Resource

Most empires never write their plans down, but the American empire did. In 1950 a top-secret government document called NSC-68 laid out the blueprint for permanent war: a militarized economy, a nuclear buildup without limit, and a posture of global confrontation that would outlast the men who wrote it. It is the founding doctrine beneath every operation in this series. In this episode we take a deep dive into how NSC-68 was written and by whom, and its role in shaping the trillion-dollar war economy still running today. This is part of the first season of Socialist History, our new series on The Socialist Program. In each episode we unpack a different CIA or Pentagon operation or document that shaped US imperialism. Join The Socialist Program community at www.patreon.com/thesocialistprogram to get access to the next episodes in this series, more exclusive content, and help keep this show on the air. Archival notes: 0:10 - Alex Jones, Infowars (2017) 0:16 - Pres. Trump at a rally (2018) 2:13 - Pres. Harry S. Truman at inauguration. Includes newsreel narrator voiceover (1949) 3:40 - Interview w/ Paul H. Nitze, former US govt. official and author of NSC-68 (1996) 6:03 - US Army documentary on the end of World War II, narrator voiceover (1945) 6:44 - Gen. Douglas MacArthur speaking at the signing of Japan’s surrender in World War II. Includes newsreel narrator voiceover (1945) 8:04 - Newsreel on soldiers returning home at the end of World War II, including narrator voiceover and source audio (1945) 10:24 - Pres. Franklin Roosevelt addresses Congress on World War II (1943) 11:06 - Newsreel on Soviet heroism in World War II, narrator voiceover (1942) 11:25 - Newsreel on the formation of the United Nations, narrator voiceover (1945) 11:49 - Newsreel on the formation of the In…

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