The further the'U.S. goes in furnishing intermediate-range ballistic missiles to NATO allies, the more it begins to trip over the letter of U.S. law governing custody of atomic weapons. Strictly interpreted, the Atomic Energy Act of 1946 requires that U.S. forces keep possession of atomic bombs and warheads on foreign soil. Because it takes hours to install an atomic warhead on an IRBM, this requirement cuts down the ability of a NATO IRBM force to retaliate instantly.
One way to solve the problem is to amend the act so as to give greater warhead control to such IRBM-minded allies as Britain, Turkey...
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