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.