No sooner had the Senate ratified the nuclear test ban treaty than Georgia Democrat Richard Russell, chairman of the Armed Services Committee, rose before the chamber to push through the huge defense appropriations bill for fiscal 1964. "His timing was perfect," marveled a Defense Department official. "Having just voted for the treaty, the Senate was ready to prove that it was not about to dismantle the military strength of this country."
But Russell found several colleagues in a dismantling mood, and foremost among them was South Dakota Democrat George McGovern. Warning that "excessive"...
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