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From: jlg@lanl.ARPA
Newsgroups: net.space
Subject: Re: A High Tech Maginot Line
Message-ID: <34541@lanl.ARPA>
Date: Mon, 9-Dec-85 19:19:00 EST
Article-I.D.: lanl.34541
Posted: Mon Dec  9 19:19:00 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 11-Dec-85 04:09:29 EST
References: <8512020718.AA15110@s1-b.arpa> <8512031532.AA11191@ucbvax.berkeley.edu> <709@petrus.UUCP> <34395@lanl.ARPA> <216@sdcc7.UUCP>
Reply-To: jlg@a.UUCP (Jim Giles)
Organization: Los Alamos National Laboratory
Lines: 21

> I recall that the war-head in a cruise missile weighs about 350 pounds.
> Considering that TONS of marajuana are smuggled into the U. S. every day...
> What's to stop Joe terrorist, or for that matter the Soviets, from smuggling
> hundreds of war-heads into the U. S. and setting them off in choice locations.
> Spy Satellites might help you in this area, but SDI certainly won't.

When the Soviets start to use this as a delivery method, I think I'll start
to worry.  I'll worry harder than you think - to smuggle warheads into this
country is an overt act of war.  The soviets won't try this sort of
intrigue because of the probably that we would launch an immediate attack
if such activities were detected.  We wouldn't have to catch every warhead,
if we detect just one the war will have been declared.  SDI doesn't help
against this form of attack because it is not the sort of attack the
Soviets would use.

Drug smuggling is still not a counter-example against SDI.  SDI is a
specific defense against a specific form of attack - ie. that form of
attack that our potential enemy currently places emphasis upon.

J. Giles
Los Alamos