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From: mwm@ea.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.followup
Subject: Re: Re: Star Wars Defense Plan - (nf)
Message-ID: <3400023@ea.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 18-Aug-84 21:08:00 EDT
Article-I.D.: ea.3400023
Posted: Sat Aug 18 21:08:00 1984
Date-Received: Tue, 21-Aug-84 07:15:52 EDT
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Nf-ID: #R:ihuxl:-129200:ea:3400023:000:1269
Nf-From: ea!mwm    Aug 18 20:08:00 1984

#R:ihuxl:-129200:ea:3400023:000:1269
ea!mwm    Aug 18 20:08:00 1984

I just had a thought (surprise!). If a space-based ABM system will work,
what about the US & USSR funding the R&D&D of such a system, then turning
it over to a neutral, non-nuke country (I nominate the Swiss)?  This would
seem to eliminate the possible problem of the Soviets (or the US) attacking
just before their ICBMs were made useless, and (unlike mutual disarmament)
would be equally effective against other countries joining the ICBM/nuke
club. Of course, it won't effect other delivery systems, but it's a start.
Comments before I rush off and write my congress-critters?

Other commentary: Blaming the whole thing on greed is as silly as any other
fanatical stand. Some of the people who've been advocating space-based ABM
systems since *before* the star wars speech won't make a dime on either the
research or the possible deployment. ("Before", I hear you ask? Surely you
don't think RR was bright enough to come up with the idea himself, do you?
:-)

As for the systems themselves, I don't know if they will work. I don't
think anybody, no matter how imminent or eminent, does. I do think that a
defense would be better than MAD, so the research is worth funding. After
the research is over, we can argue about whether the thing is worth
deploying.