Word: union
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 1970-1979
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...basic decision was to develop and deploy 572 U.S.-made Pershing II and cruise missiles in at least three and possibly five countries of Western Europe. The scheme is designed as a counterforce to the Soviet Union's 50 Back-fire bombers and as many as 150 medium-range SS-20 missiles facing Western Europe. The NATO missiles, to be built over the next three years at a cost of $5 billion to the U.S., will be based in Western Europe but manned by American servicemen, thereby tying the U.S. inextricably to Western Europe's defense, but also...
...Soviet Union was swift to react angrily against NATO's missile decision. Calling it the product of "crude pressure" by the U.S. against its allies, TASS declared that the plan was "dangerous to the cause of peace and to international detente." NATO planners paid little attention, convinced as they are that the present strategic balance in Europe favors the Warsaw Pact to a greater extent than ever before. They believe the new Western missiles will significantly strengthen the alliance and will, at the least, give it an important new bargaining chip in any fu ture arms negotiations with...
...alliance, if it should suddenly become the target of a Soviet attack in Europe, could easily find itself in a nuclear dilemma: its response might be either too modest (perhaps with the use of battlefield nuclear artillery) or too devastating (an intercontinental ballistic missile strike at the Soviet Union from the U.S.). Furthermore, the Europeans are also fearful that in such an emergency, the U.S. might not respond at all. What was needed, they felt, was a nuclear capability that would permit NATO to react directly to a Soviet strike without having to resort to what strategists flippantly call...
Last fall the Soviet Union launched a ferocious propaganda campaign against the NATO missile proposals. Soviet President Leonid Brezhnev declared that the Soviet Union would not "watch indifferently the efforts of the NATO militarists," but would be ready to "take the necessary extra steps to strengthen our security." In a loudly proclaimed peace ges-ture-a carrot to accompany the stick -the Soviets last month announced the withdrawal of some obsolescent tank divisions from East Germany...
...Joseph Luns confirmed that the countries were Britain, West Germany and Italy; he added that "Belgium and The Netherlands may accept the missiles later." Both recalcitrant countries said that they might well accept the missiles on their territory if there were no progress in disarmament negotiations with the Soviet Union; Belgium said it would reconsider in six months, The Netherlands in two years...