A Walk in the Woods

Twenty-one congressmen recently returned from a trip to the Soviet Union, and they all brought back the same overpowering impression: The Soviets are obsessed with one thing— the emplacement of Pershing 11 missiles in NATO countries this December. Everything else pales in comparison: trade, human rights, regional conflicts, domestic economy. For two years President Reagan has waited for the Soviets to become absolutely convinced that their only option is an arms-control deal: that without it they face the ten-minutes-from-Moscow Pershings. Well, that moment has arrived. And, to their credit, the visiting congressmen reinforced the message, telling the Russians in one way or another: “Look, you guys, the Administration has made up its mind to deploy those missiles if there is no Geneva agreement. Congress is behind it. That’s why we’re here.”

Yuri Andropov has had a long, hot summer. The Western peace movement failed to derail NATO’s go-ahead on the missile deployment. Elections in Britain, West Germany, Italy, and Japan all supported Soviet opponents. Also, Andropov suffers from failing health— diabetes, plus kidney and heart trouble.

JM

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John McLaughlin

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Twenty-one congressmen recently returned from a trip to the Soviet Union, and they all brought back the same overpowering impression: The Soviets are obsessed with one thing— the emplacement of Pershing 11 missiles in NATO countries this December. Everything else pales in comparison: trade, human rights, regional conflicts, domestic economy. For two years President Reagan has waited for the Soviets to become absolutely convinced that their only option is an arms-control deal: that without it they face the ten-minutes-from-Moscow Pershings. Well, that moment has arrived. And, to their credit, the visiting congressmen reinforced the message, telling the Russians in one way or another: “Look, you guys, the Administration has made up its mind to deploy those missiles if there is no Geneva agreement. Congress is behind it. That’s why we’re here.”

Yuri Andropov has had a long, hot summer. The Western peace movement failed to derail NATO’s go-ahead on the missile deployment. Elections in Britain, West Germany, Italy, and Japan all supported Soviet opponents. Also, Andropov suffers from failing health— diabetes, plus kidney and heart trouble.