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Megatons and Snowplows
On the other hand, the prospect of constructing an ABM shield might be just as valid a debating point as actual emplacement of ABM. Since the system under consideration would not, in any event, be fully operable until 1971 or 1972, it would be possible to keep the program alive without investing much additional money until the prospects for successful arms talks are fully assessed. In that fashion, the U.S. could tell the world, as Hubert Humphrey said last week, that "we are putting down our pistol—but there it is."
For Richard Nixon, it has been no easy matter to reach a decision. The international ramifications are complex enough. The domestic considerations are also tricky. Opposition to ABM has provided a rallying point for liberal Democrats while seriously dividing the Republican ranks. The split in the Senate is close enough to give the opposition a good chance to embarrass the Administration by withholding further funds. An Associated Press poll indicated that 47 Senators now oppose construction of the system.
The ABM has acquired a symbolic importance far out of proportion to its stated cost at present—though not perhaps out of relation to the ultimate bill if it grows, as some fear it will. After listening to a debate in Lexington, Mass., on ABM's merits, Boston City Councilman Tom Atkins told a panel of experts: "You talk of megatons. We are interested in snow removal. You talk of penetration aids. What we want is housing. You talk of nuclear sufficiency. I say there is massive insufficiency as far as our domestic sanity is concerned." The statement brought applause from both opponents and advocates of Sentinel. That is a trick that Richard Nixon may find very hard to turn.
* Whose original concept, many forget, was forced on the generals and admirals by Robert McNamara and his civilian experts.