A Letter From The Publisher, Mar. 3, 1975

This week's cover story is a sales report of sorts. The goods are TOWs, AK-47s, F-5s, MIG-23s, C-130s, Uzi submachine guns and French commando daggers — commodities in one of the world's busiest and potentially most lethal markets, the world arms trade. Associate Editor Burton Pines and Reporter-Researcher Genevieve Wilson began working on the intricate story several weeks ago, as the already staccato pace of major arms deals accelerated. "The most startling figure we found," Wilson says, "is that arms sales have increased 6000% since 1952, from $300 million to $18 billion." Adds Pines: "We had to rewrite our lead paragraphs...

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