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advance
news
in
the wake of today's WORLD EVENTS
•
Soviet Missile Push
The faltering prospects for world peace and security
have been dealt another severe blow. Rather, an accelerated
arms cace could begin in earnest.
Progress in the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and in
the Strategic Arms Limitations Talks (SALT) in Vienna
have been overshadowed by ominous receot developmeots in
Soviet nuclear and missile weaponry.
Photographs from United $tates "spy" satellites now
indicate Soviet engineers are preparing missile silo sites for
even larger missiles than previously known.
Further intelligence reveals that the new missile to fill
the enlarged silos could carry an awesome 25-megaton war–
head. This new "monster missile" would greatly exceed the
firepower of Russia's previously Jargest rnissile, the SS-9.
The fear among officials now is: ls the U. S. about to
lose its ability to retaliate if the Soviets choose to strike first
with massive nuclear missiles?
Even apart from this development, the Soviet Union has
surpassed the U. S. in ICBM's - possessing nearly 1,500 to
the U. S.'s 1054 land-based missiles. No U. S. land-based
missiles have been added to the U. S. force for severa! years.
Soviet ICBM' s generally carry far more powerful nuclear war–
heads than comparable American missiles.
In addition, the Soviets are rapidly increasing the num–
ber of submarine-launched missiles. By mid-year they will
have 400 such rnissiles compared with 656 for the U. S.
Sorne Pentagon strategists fear the U. S. will be forced
to step up its defense efforts and rekindle a more furious arms
cace. Other officials fear that public support for such an effort
will
be
lacking at a time when increased military spending is
unpopular.
U. S. officials have been repeatedly caught off guard by a
desire to think wishfully about Soviet actions.
Every Soviet defeose apparatus "slowdown" has been
quickly interpreted as a desire of the Soviets to reduce ten–
sions. Even when the larger silos were first spotted many
officials said only a few such missiles could be deployed this
year and wouldn' t alter the defense balance significantly.
Now the Soviets may be able to deploy 80 to 100 new
"monster missiles" by year's end!
The big question that must be answered is this: Is the
new Soviet missile advance along with wide-ranging naval
and submarine force build-up only preparatory to a hideously
grave confrontation with Western Powers?
Leading American columnist Joseph Alsop put the new
bad news in worst possible termjnology:
"In too many ways, it too much resembles the time in
the British story when govcrnment and people refused to
respond to the grim challenge of Adolph Hitler - until it
was much too late and thcre was no possible response except a
second world war."
•
Worse Drought Than the 3(Ys or S<Ys?
"What will we do when the great drought of 1975
settles down upon us ?"
That question was put to the American public in Sep–
tember, 1954, by
l.
R. Tannehill, the late Assistant Chief of
Ambossoclw College Photo
"FARMLAND"-
Near Lamesa, Texas, during dev–
astating drought engulfing Southwestern United States.