ARMAMENTS: The U.S. Goes to Market

Without any congressional debate or much public discussion, the U.S. is enlarging its role as a major international supplier of weapons. Even more intriguing: the U.S. choice of prospective new markets for sophisticated equipment. Last week Secretary of State William P. Rogers announced that President Nixon had authorized the sale of F-5E supersonic jet fighters to Marxist Chile and four other South American countries. Earlier, the State Department had indicated American willingness to sell the prestigious F-4 Phantom jet fighter-bomber to Saudi Arabia, a heavy financial backer of the Palestinian liberation movement against Israel. The department also disclosed that...