Whom the Gods Would Destroy They First Make MAD

When President Reagan returned from the November Summit, many of his staunchest supporters breathed an audible sigh of relief. So far as the record discloses, nothing had been said or done to compromise his proposed strategic defense initiative—the most important issue mooted at Geneva, and arguably the most important of his Administration. Among the friends of SDI, lack of news on this front was hailed as very good news indeed.

The bad news, however, is that the arms agreement that could spell the demise of Reagan’s program is already on the books, and seems likely to remain there for the foreseeable future. This is the anti-ballistic missile (ABM) treaty of 1972, part of the original SALT accords negotiated with the Soviets by Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger. Perpetual in duration (though with provision for breakout on six months’ notice), it is the only one of the SALT agreements still legally extant and binding. And it pledges the United States not to develop defenses against incoming Soviet missiles.

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M. Stanton Evans

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When President Reagan returned from the November Summit, many of his staunchest supporters breathed an audible sigh of relief. So far as the record discloses, nothing had been said or done to compromise his proposed strategic defense initiative—the most important issue mooted at Geneva, and arguably the most important of his Administration. Among the friends of SDI, lack of news on this front was hailed as very good news indeed.

The bad news, however, is that the arms agreement that could spell the demise of Reagan’s program is already on the books, and seems likely to remain there for the foreseeable future. This is the anti-ballistic missile (ABM) treaty of 1972, part of the original SALT accords negotiated with the Soviets by Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger. Perpetual in duration (though with provision for breakout on six months’ notice), it is the only one of the SALT agreements still legally extant and binding. And it pledges the United States not to develop defenses against incoming Soviet missiles.