War - Edward Teller

[BLUEHAWK]

Taken from THE ECONOMIST magazine, October 18, 2003, p. 16

LETTERS

"Sir,
I had occasion to speak confidentially with Edward Teller during Ronald Reagan's second term. As he was credited with authorship of the Strategic Defence Initiative ("Star Wars"), I asked him how it came about. He said that Reagan fashioned a bubble with his hands and said, "I wish I could put a protective shield over the country - to keep evil people from doing us harm." Teller told the president his vision was possible.
I asked Teller if it would work. "Now? No," he said and I asked why. He gave a bored shrug: "The technology doesn't exist." This was an astounding admission from the chief architect of Star Wars. Though it failed it is still credited with hastening the downfall of the Soviet Union. Teller displayed a profound lack of interest in the morality of launching a massive programme he knew would not work, and an overriding interest in the morality of defeating America's enemies."

Grant Stockdale
Washington, DC