The Week

Hear the latest Polish joke? As East and West meet in Vienna to discuss mutual unbalanced force reductions, General Motors is making plans to build a truck plant in Poland. The more trucks we build for them, the more heavy equipment of other sorts they can build for themselves . . . Come to think of it, that sounds more like an American joke.

Edward Teller, the father of the H-bomb and a leading authority on military matters, was asked by the New Guard, the monthly of the Young Americans for Freedom, whether the United States’ military is now strategically inferior to the Soviet Union’s. Dr. Teller does not mince words. “Definitely,” he replied, “and becoming weaker year by year.” How did he feel about the concept of “sufficiency”? “When you are inferior, as we are, then to argue for equality is real progress.” If Congress were willing, how long would it take the U.S. to catch up to the Soviet Union? “Ten years.” There is no indication that Congress will start in on that effort this year. Or next? Ask Schlesinger. The DOD will forward his mail.

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Hear the latest Polish joke? As East and West meet in Vienna to discuss mutual unbalanced force reductions, General Motors is making plans to build a truck plant in Poland. The more trucks we build for them, the more heavy equipment of other sorts they can build for themselves . . . Come to think of it, that sounds more like an American joke.

Edward Teller, the father of the H-bomb and a leading authority on military matters, was asked by the New Guard, the monthly of the Young Americans for Freedom, whether the United States’ military is now strategically inferior to the Soviet Union’s. Dr. Teller does not mince words. “Definitely,” he replied, “and becoming weaker year by year.” How did he feel about the concept of “sufficiency”? “When you are inferior, as we are, then to argue for equality is real progress.” If Congress were willing, how long would it take the U.S. to catch up to the Soviet Union? “Ten years.” There is no indication that Congress will start in on that effort this year. Or next? Ask Schlesinger. The DOD will forward his mail.