Nitze

Nitze is a surname of German origin. The most prominent bearer is Paul H. Nitze (1907–2004), an American diplomat and national security official who helped shape U.S. Cold War strategy. Nitze was a principal architect of NSC-68, the 1950 National Security Council document that advocated a substantial buildup of military strength and a strengthened alliance system to deter the Soviet Union. Over the course of his career, he held several high-level positions related to defense, diplomacy, and arms control, including leadership roles within the State Department and the arms control establish­ments. His work influenced U.S. policy on deterrence, arms control negotiations, and NATO alliance management during the mid-to-late 20th century.

The surname Nitze is relatively uncommon and traces its roots to German-speaking regions. In historical and scholarly contexts, references to Nitze usually pertain to Paul H. Nitze or to members of his family in accounts of U.S. foreign policy and Cold War history.