Arms race
Sir, —Your "Daily Telegraph” reprint (December 23) on the recent Intermediate Nuclear Forces agreement claims that belief that arms races produce a drift into war is "based on hopelessly wrong history" (especially regarding 1914). It then utilises selective, if not downright propagandistic evidence, to dispute the belief. A. J. P. Taylor has commented: “... perhaps the war had no profound causes. For 30 years diplomacy, balance, alliances, and arms, had produced peace. Suddenly the very forces which produced the long peace now produced a great war ...” Other studies have shown that in most cases where an arms race existed war resulted. Finally, your readers should understand that personnel in the United States Arms Control and Disarmament Agency, quoted extensively by the “Telegraph,” are not unbiased sources. Under President Reagan, this organisa-
tion has been packed with hardliners intent on justifying an arms race, not stopping it. — Yours, etc., WARREN THOMSON. December 23, 1987.
Permanent link to this item
https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/CHP19871228.2.103.3
Bibliographic details
Press, 28 December 1987, Page 12
Word Count
154Arms race Press, 28 December 1987, Page 12
Using This Item
Stuff Ltd is the copyright owner for the Press. You can reproduce in-copyright material from this newspaper for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 3.0 New Zealand licence. This newspaper is not available for commercial use without the consent of Stuff Ltd. For advice on reproduction of out-of-copyright material from this newspaper, please refer to the Copyright guide.
Copyright in all Footrot Flats cartoons is owned by Diogenes Designs Ltd. The National Library has been granted permission to digitise these cartoons and make them available online as part of this digitised version of the Press. You can search, browse, and print Footrot Flats cartoons for research and personal study only. Permission must be obtained from Diogenes Designs Ltd for any other use.
Acknowledgements
This newspaper was digitised in partnership with Christchurch City Libraries.