Peter George Reconsidered, or: How the Writer Behind Dr. Strangelove Learned to Fear the Bomb

Author: Katharine Sheahan

Field of Study: Korean Studies

Program Affiliation: Source Project Research Program

Faculty Mentors: Will Glovinsky

Easel: 58

Timeslot: Morning

Abstract: Stanley Kubrick’s Dr. Strangelove (1964) has become an enduring cultural film of Cold War nuclear fears. Yet the author of the book that this film is based upon remains obscure. Peter Bryant George was a troubled Royal Air Force officer who wrote in his spare time, drawing inspiration from his military knowledge and his own paranoia to produce novels such as Red Alert (1958) and Commander-1 (1965). This study analyzes the constant paranoia George held throughout his life, representing the growing population at this time and shedding light on the unknown post-apocalyptic fiction writer behind the Cold War classic. It argues that attending to Red Alert and George's other works helps reveal the darker truth behind Kubrick’s famous film, its characters and the parallels drawn between real government and military officials.