caused much negative feedback from the public, which deemed it as a controversial subject. Dulles speech in 1954 was what formed the basis for the term massive retaliation, which would back up any conventional defense against conventional attacks with a possible massive retaliatory attack involving nuclear weapons. One of the primary ideas that makes up the term "massive retaliation" is to make known to the enemy that the degree of retaliation is not confined by the magnitude of the attack. This would feasibly strike fear into the opposing side preventing any further or future attacks from happening. The U.S. has always been a national power and the idea of what a full blow retaliation attack could do to an opposing country has kept many hesitant to prod the U.S. into a state of attack. It was made clear by the end of Dulles speech that he and many other government officials viewed the "reactive measures" as a tactic of the past that would do no good for the U.S. in the near future, and that the dependence on these measures could actually lead to the destruction of the U.S. The primary goal of "massive retaliation" was a type of preventative measure that was seen as a necessary step to prevent the U.S. from getting into any more wars that would cost American lives. Dulles speech aroused feelings of anger and skepticism from Americans listening from home. With the World War II being newly ended, many Americans were still fearful of the possibility of a nuclear war and this caused skepticism in a tactic that could provoke just that. The ultimate goal of introducing a tactic such as massive retaliation by powerful government officials such as Dulles and Eisenhower was to provide a military tactic that would sustain peace and prevail against communism. Criticism Two members of the RAND Corporation criticized the doctrine as too aggressive and identical to the first strike. Herman Kahn stressed that many military planners adhering to the "splendid first strike" believed that if the Soviets did provoke the U.S. then they should launch a large strike at "a time and place of our choosing." This is "the massive retaliation theory as enunciated by ... Dulles." Similarly, Bernard Brodie noted that Dulles' doctrine "reflected a characteristically military dissatisfaction, one made familiar previously in the MacArthur hearings." It represented nothing new about the defense of America or Europe