national review has learned that the purported “bishops’ letter” on nuclear war and disarmament is a forgery.
The nuclear issue, of course, comes at us from every direction, including the U.S. Congress. It is focused, in its essential meaning, on the prospective deployment of Pershing II and cruise missiles in Europe (see “Nuclear Chess,” p. 604). It subsumes the behavior of the American Catholic bishops, so at variance with the bishops of nations on the edge of the Soviet empire. In this swirling storm of global politics, our adversary has a hand on the Western tiller, as the House of Representatives passes 278 to 149 a “freeze” resolution—much amended, to be sure, and provided with a vague time limit (translation: political escape hatch)—which, though substantively diaphanous, adds to the political pressure against our side. The House vote was a symbolic blow to NATO, which is not foremost in the thoughts of the average congressman. It was a political plus for Mr. Andropov. It was junk thought. H. L. Mencken, call your office.
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