"Yes," I said, "you could put on a helmet."
"Then why not do so?" he asked.
"Because our scientists have not been able to design one," I said. "There is no
cost effwtive defense system available to protect against in-coming ballistic
missiles.
"I have more confidence in our U.S. scientists than you, he said. " I believe that
if our scientists were challenged they would design an effective system of
defenses. He added that he simply did not agree with the currently popular theory
of MAD, mutual assured destruction. "It is." he said, "just what its acronym
implies, it's mad.
I again said I agreed with him. From this early time onwards I found myself
working with candidate and later President Reagan on developing strategic
defenses, something which later became known as SDI, strategic defense initiative,
and which the media dubbed "Star Wars."
Reagan also asked if I would co-chair a group to advise him on national security
and arms control matters. I co-chaired a group with Richard Allen. We brought
together 50 prominent scholars, journalists, and experts to study these matters.
In November 1980 Reagan was elected to be our next President. About this time
I had finished my book and had sold it to a publishing company.
Q ..
Was the book published?
A ..
No, before it was published I was offered a job in the Reagan administration, and
the White House thought a book by me at that time would be inappropriate. I have
redone the book since then and expect to publish it in 1992. [Note: The book, It
Takes One to Tango, was published by Brassey's, USA, in November, 1992.1
Soon after President Reagan's inauguration, he called and asked me if I would take
the job of director of the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency [ACDA]. I said
I accepted with pleasure but on condition that I would not also become the chief
arms control negotiator. I said I thought combining the two jobs in the past was
a mistake. President Reagan said he agreed.
Two weeks later I had finished calling on the senators on the Foreign Affairs
Subcommittee. Seven of the eight senators said they favored me for the job. One,
senator, Charles Percy of Illinois, held out. He said he wanted to be certain I was
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