Word: quickly
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Dates: during 1970-1979
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Such sloppiness has angered Secretary of State Cyrus Vance, who has ordered U.S. embassies to use more care in safeguarding their secret files. One measure that has been largely abandoned is the dependence on thermite grenades for quick incineration of secret documents. U.S. outposts are now instructed to rely on shredding machines. But no matter what technology is chosen, the vigilance of those handling it is the real key to protecting U.S. secrets. Observes an old embassy hand: "Vance's new rules will last until people forget about them...
...would be very convenient for future Secretaries of State who might itch to tip the balance in some civil war in Africa or Asia. Proponents of the force say that today our government understands the dangers of intervening in complex local conflicts, and would only use a quick-strike force to defend our "legitimate interests...
Those interests are open to very different interpretations, however; and a careful examination of the arguments for the force reveals more suspect purposes. Senator Gary Hart (D-Colo.), for example, told The New York Times why we need the quick-strike force: "Our forces aren't structured well to intervene in Third World countries. sixteen infantry divisions don't do you a bit of good in Angola...
...will have his pet mechanized division to send off to the next Angola, thanks to the recent presidential decision to fund the force. The White House, hawkish congressmen and the Pentagon itself are using the fear excited by the embassy takeover to effect a turnabout in foreign policy too quick for anyone to protest. The quick-strike force makes up only one part of the pro-military campaign; a reinvigorated opposition to ratifying the SALT II arms limitation treaty will undoubtedly follow, and new demands for giving the Central Intelligence Agency more freedom to act covertly abroad will surface after...
...West, the Iranian students are not unmotivated anarchists but impassioned believers. If we expect to protect our interests from similar fanatics, we must spend some of our billions on educating our leaders and ourselves about them--otherwise, our presidents won't know how to use the brand-new quick-strike force without getting burned. A mechanized division can be surprised as easily as an embassy garrison when its leaders don't understand the opposition...