arms received little coverage in the British media was his intention to ahead with the 'development of technologies for space-based defence'.
Space an where weapons of mass destruction are outlawed by the United Nations, but that doesn't likely to stop planning his own version of 'Star Wars'.
Indeed, already
US has taken significant steps along For, the ballyhoo that surrounded the launching space shuttle last April, lay something arms race weekend Reagan more bombers carrying package plans. Weinberger when that crook was President.
Socialist Challenge 8 October 1981| which For be area other In Reagan base at the Base, this road. jolly And of the much When it comes to the Ronald Reagan has shown himself to be Sebastian Coe and Steve Ovett rolled into one. Last weekend the US showed the most frightening yet madness when he announced arms GEOFF The Presidency of Ronald Reagan is becoming a living nightmare for the rest of. the world's population. While he and his NATO allies hold their hands to their hearts and claim that, really, they are in favour of a reduction in nuclear arms, last announced 'strategic programme' which will mark a further stock-piling of nuclear weapons.
For Reagan promised more missiles, missiles, submarines carrying missiles, and further research into yet how more missiles can be deployed. All of them will be nuclear and they will cost the citizens of the United States hundreds of billions of dollars.
Reagan made his announcement of the standing alongside Secretary of Defence, Caspar Weinberger who is the architect of Reagan's 'defence was charge Richard Nixon's 'Office of Management' move towards space war a reality.
instance, when the shuttle was designed the American Air Force ordered its cargo bay to enlarged so, necessary, it could take 'military payloads' words, missiles and rockets.
fact, military duplicate of the shuttle the Kennedy Space Centre is already construction Vandeberg Air Force California. It was due to be operational by 1984 but this may now be speeded up by Reagan.
even Reagan announced war plans, the US Air Force had announcfor a such a confrontation.
cludes:
marines from 1984 of *The bombers on B-52s and B-ls *The miles between now and 1987 F-16 fighter more *Building 'surveillance planes'.
nuclear arsenal This $243 billion in 1984.
of Reagan was tended in Colorado.
tle flights, if ones as well.
in war costs Defence likely Reagan. at military launched military while many his mainder His aim now, he has said, is to prepare 'decade of confrontation'. nuclear build-up he and Reagan have now embarked upon is designed to ensure that, if necessary, the United States will start The Reagan/ Weinberger plan for what the Soviet news agency TASS described as a 'sharp escalation of the nuclear race', in*Several hundred nuclear sea-launched Cruise missiles, to be deployed on sub*One hundred long-range B-1 bombers — an aircraft scrapped by Jimmy Carter in 1977 as being too expensive modification of existing *The deployment of 3,000 Cruise missiles development of the new Stealth bomber, which would also carry nuclear weapons, and as it would be designed to try and evade radar would be particularly useful for a 'first strike' strategy *The deployment of at least 100 MX intercontinental ballistic missiles. Each MX missile would carry 10 nuclear warheads, and would have a range of over 6,000 *The construction of Trident ballistic missile carrying submarines — one a year *The development of a larger and more accurate Trident, the D-S *The building of more fighter airplanes -there will be five squadrons of the ner nine more AWACS This escalation of the US's existing will cost at least $180 billion. Reagan has called for a defence budget of $182 billion in 1982, rising to It is the MX missile which is at the heart of the new strategy.
planning to have deployed in underground tracks, which they could move so that they could spending £175 million on a space centre This will have the capacity to control not just military shutbut civilian Adding to the space is the US Department whose demand for £200 million in 1982 for its own shuttle research is now to be granted by Even the shuttle plans already made show the purpose behind them. Nine of the first 40 will carry experts only. of the rewill also have representatives of the US war machine on board.
Kansas.
1984.
capacity B-52 Originally, these along be used to satellites, engage continental missiles and become 'bomber' and nuclear weapons space.
Already, been made shuttle to test weapons, against the Soviet Union.
ment Friday mean that all these plans will now be stepped up It seems wherever you underground, water or in space - you just can't madness. avoid detection. Now he has decided, for the moment, to place them in existing missile silos in Arizona, Arkansas and But that won't be the end of the MX story. Reagan has also said that further research will be carried out to see where else the MX can be deployed. A further escalation in this area will be announced in The MX system frightening for two reasons. First, is its for mass destruction.
destroy Rea inter- to ballistic und even the space launch MX man pack plans have the laser directed announcewill whether escape is particularly Each
one group of Americans • a huge sigh of relief when nounced his arms build-up These were the residents of * Nevada who had feared that would confirm existing plans the MX missiles round railway-line system in • states. an's announcement that instead the m would be placed in existing Minuteis the one major surprise of his arms What is instructive is the reason showdown in Nevada behind Reagan's change of mind possible successfully missile madness.
an tion.
system.
LUIS water said:
and makes the people on it nuclear targets.
the mass opposition in Utah and Nevada to having the missiles in their backyard. It shows that it is campaign against The opposition to the MX missiles in the two states embraced all sections of the populaThe most recent opinion poll in Nevada and Utah showed that more than 70 per cent of those questioned were against having the MX All but one of the governors, senators and members of congress of Nevada and Utah had also come out against the plan. Frances Farley, a Utah State Senator summed up local objec'Any land-basing missiles is a mistake because it effects the land Or, as Nevada governor, Robert Lisk, put it, figuratively and literally, We feel very clearly that it would just turn our landscape and lifestyle upside down.' People in both states were particularly wary because they had been given false assurances on nuclear weapons before.
At the time, the central Atomic Energy Commission said the tests were harmless. But today, in Southern Utah, where the Nevada fall-out blew east, the cancer and leukaemia rate is eight times the national Besides the obvious risk to life and health the population of the two states also had environmental objections to the MX system The two states are the driest in the USA and the fear was that water in the region would become as scarce as 'Nevada Gold' with the construction of the underground missile network.
These fears have now, at least for the moment, been laid to rest. Because of the strength of the local feeling, and because the population of the two states have. in general, LONDON • 24 OCTOBER • LONDON • 24 OCTOBER government's tart the steps to servival...
shown WE CAN STOP
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president symptoms his package. BELL reports.