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

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

From The Socialist Program by The Socialist Program

June 30, 2026 · 1h 7m

About this episode

This episode explores NSC-68, a top-secret document that established the framework for the United States' permanent war economy.

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, host of Infowars (2017) 0:16 - Pres. Donald Trump speaking at a rally (2018) 2:13 - Pres. Harry S. Truman speaking at his inauguration. Includes newsreel narrator voiceover (1949) 3:40 - Interview with Paul H. Nitze, former US government official and…

People in this episode

Host: Brian Becker

Guest: Paul H. Nitze

Topics covered

  • permanent war
  • militarized economy
  • NSC-68
  • US imperialism
  • CIA operations
  • Pentagon documents

Keywords

  • NSC-68
  • permanent war
  • militarized economy
  • US imperialism
  • CIA
  • Pentagon
  • Paul H. Nitze

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: CIA, Pentagon

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