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Aucbvax.1421 fa.arms-d utzoo!duke!decvax!ucbvax!VaughanW.REFLECS@HI-Multics Tue May 26 10:36:27 1981 Re: zapsats I didn't mean to imply that I reject the analysis cited by Caulkins because of its source. I tried to show my reasons for rejecting it. My comments about the source weren't really germane. One of the problems with net communications is that it's too immediate - too easy to react to incoming mail quickly and with flame.

If you throw out every biased publication that crosses your desk you'll be left with nothing to read. I just try to compensate for the biases of those I read, and don't read those (few) that I'm emotionally unequipped to compensate for.

As far as advocating zapsats is concerned - what I am looking for is a way out of MAD. MAD smells to me like an unstable equilibrium - tilt it either way and things go boom. The only way out of MAD is a good defense - preferably one that can be installed quickly enough to rule out a preemptive strike.

It's most conducive to peace when each side has a good defense. Therefore research on truly defensive weapons (if such exist) ought to be in the open literature and perhaps ought to be worked on by multinational teams.

National security considerations require that good offenses be kept from our enemies; but it is not so clear that they should be denied good defense.

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