The next war, cried Nikita Khrushchev last week, will be "fought on the American continent, which can be reached by our rockets." Khrushchev was presuming a long-term Soviet lead in 5,000-mile intercontinental ballistic missiles. His presumption ignored one fact: if launched from a NATO base on the European continent, a U.S. 1,500-mile intermediate-range ballistic missile has, so far as Russia is concerned, all the bang of an ICBM. Last week, in a major policy decision, the Administration decided to push toward allowing NATO that big bang, even if it means changing the McMahon Act.
The questions, given urgent appraisal in...
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