For the Record

Doomsaying: James Schlesinger in February Fortune: “A specter is haunting Europe… the specter of Soviet hegemony… at no point since the 1930s has the Western world faced so formidable a threat to its survival.” The ex-Secretary of Defense says Soviets outspend U.S. on defense by at least 45 per cent…. Sen. John Culver (D., Iowa; ADA rating 100 per cent) has released a Library of Congress study showing that Soviets have quantitative military advantage and that U.S. qualitative advantage “is slowly slipping away.”… A report by Joint Committee on Atomic Energy echoes Library of Congress study, adds that some nuclear experts believe “the massive Soviet effort” may soon allow Soviets “to maximize their political advantage”—i.e., engage in nuclear blackmail to impose their will on the world…. Aviation Week & Space Technology reports latest achievements of Soviet science: another new series of intercontinental ballistic missiles, an advanced submarine-launched ballistic missile, and a maneuvering re-entry vehicle for the new strategic systems…. General Alexander Haig, commander of NATO forces in Europe, says “explosion of Soviet military capabilities… far exceeds. the requirements of a purely defense posture…. We are getting to the fine edge of disaster.”… “The actions of the Warsaw Pact forces are having a major influence in shaping the situation not only in Europe but far beyond Europe”; Warsaw Pact forces have a “visibly increased preponderance” and may be in position “to lay down the direction of international politics”—Andrei Gromyko, Soviet foreign minister.

Behind-the-scenes battle over SALT II is getting bloody. On one side Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, who has warned that failure to reach agreement could cost the U.S. as much as $20 billion over five-year period. Kissinger’s many critics accuse him of many deceits in his recent Soviet dealings. Among charges: he offered Soviets a proposal that National Security Council had already rejected; just before he left for Moscow he extracted concession from Ford that NSC probably would have vetoed. Where does Ford stand? Kissinger supporters are sure he will remain right behind his Secretary of State; “everything will be fine,” says one Kissinger man, “if the President just keeps his sights on November.” SALT I was signed in 1972, year of last presidential election…. Congressional investigations of CIA have boomeranged. Administration, not Congress, will do the renovating of CIA. Washington Post reports that oversight provisions resulting from investigations will be weaker than those already in force. Two major reasons for turnaround: murder of Richard Welch and massive leaks from Pike committee report.

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Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

Congress

Doomsaying: James Schlesinger in February Fortune: “A specter is haunting Europe… the specter of Soviet hegemony… at no point since the 1930s has the Western world faced so formidable a threat to its survival.” The ex-Secretary of Defense says Soviets outspend U.S. on defense by at least 45 per cent…. Sen. John Culver (D., Iowa; ADA rating 100 per cent) has released a Library of Congress study showing that Soviets have quantitative military advantage and that U.S. qualitative advantage “is slowly slipping away.”… A report by Joint Committee on Atomic Energy echoes Library of Congress study, adds that some nuclear experts believe “the massive Soviet effort” may soon allow Soviets “to maximize their political advantage”—i.e., engage in nuclear blackmail to impose their will on the world…. Aviation Week & Space Technology reports latest achievements of Soviet science: another new series of intercontinental ballistic missiles, an advanced submarine-launched ballistic missile, and a maneuvering re-entry vehicle for the new strategic systems…. General Alexander Haig, commander of NATO forces in Europe, says “explosion of Soviet military capabilities… far exceeds. the requirements of a purely defense posture…. We are getting to the fine edge of disaster.”… “The actions of the Warsaw Pact forces are having a major influence in shaping the situation not only in Europe but far beyond Europe”; Warsaw Pact forces have a “visibly increased preponderance” and may be in position “to lay down the direction of international politics”—Andrei Gromyko, Soviet foreign minister.

Behind-the-scenes battle over SALT II is getting bloody. On one side Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, who has warned that failure to reach agreement could cost the U.S. as much as $20 billion over five-year period. Kissinger’s many critics accuse him of many deceits in his recent Soviet dealings. Among charges: he offered Soviets a proposal that National Security Council had already rejected; just before he left for Moscow he extracted concession from Ford that NSC probably would have vetoed. Where does Ford stand? Kissinger supporters are sure he will remain right behind his Secretary of State; “everything will be fine,” says one Kissinger man, “if the President just keeps his sights on November.” SALT I was signed in 1972, year of last presidential election…. Congressional investigations of CIA have boomeranged. Administration, not Congress, will do the renovating of CIA. Washington Post reports that oversight provisions resulting from investigations will be weaker than those already in force. Two major reasons for turnaround: murder of Richard Welch and massive leaks from Pike committee report.