Boston—On March 16, Soviet President Leonid Brezhnev, speaking to a conference of his bogus trade unions, set forth one of the most scrutable agitprop gambits of recent years. As an indication of the USSR’s peaceful intentions, he would move his SS-20 missiles behind the Urals if NATO would drop its aggressive scheme to introduce Pershing II missiles and cruise missiles.
This should have been greeted with a roar of laughter. However, it was accorded a solemn reception by the American media. The New York Times even went to the trouble of providing a map demonstrating the absurdity of Brezhnev’s “compromise,” though it somehow managed to decrease the range of the SS-20 by about a thousand miles, from roughly 4,500 statute miles to 3,125. When I got out my map and calipers, I discovered the full nature of Lennie’s generosity to NATO: if the SS-20s were moved behind the Urals, Iceland would be out of range!
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