Parliamentarians and Defense

Factors of parliamentary decision-making processes and development of
an informed opinion on defense policy.

Topics: Committees in which development of an informed opinion takes
place, differences according to individual parties; conduct of
committee members according to factual or party political
considerations; significance of the parliamentary party executive for
coordination of various opinions; judgement on support of committees by
the ministries; attitude to a coordination committee between governing
party and opposition and expansion of the scientific apparatus for
support of committees; attitude to hearings; influence of NATO on
national defense policy and influences on the defense conception of
NATO; desire for unified appearance of party and parliamentary party in
defense questions; judgement on defense expenditures and adaptation
difficulties of the economy in disarmament measures; branches of
industry dependent on arms production; perceived financing
possibilities for an increasing defense household; consideration of
national economic factors in defense policy decisions; suspected
interest of voters in defense questions; preferred defense concept and
most important prerequisites for an effective deterrence strategy;
attitude to nuclear weapons and the defense policy of de Gaulle;
attitude to doing without the American defense guarantee; technical
information used; party membership; type of mandate (direct or list);
length of belonging to parliament and the defense committee.

Demography: occupation; religious denomination; school education; age;
marital status; sex.

Interviewer rating: willingness of respondent to cooperate; interest
in interview; disturbances during the interview; interview
surroundings; subjective judgement on length of interview and actual
length of interview.