From: aws@iti.org (Allen W. Sherzer)
Subject: Re: Usual libels against Chomsky
Organization: Evil Geniuses for a Better Tomorrow
Date: Fri, 4 Sep 1992 19:07:04 GMT

In article <1SEP199222301798@reg.triumf.ca> orwell@reg.triumf.ca (BALDEN, RON) writes:

>Anyone who can write about a "seamless alliance" in the manner above
>is seriously decoupled from reality.  

Actually, anybody who disagrees just hasn't been reading the records
the Russians have recently declassified.

>For the benefit of those who do like to be coupled to reality, see
>Tom Gervasi's "The Myth of Soviet Military Supremacy" (1986,
>Harper & Row) and even more interesting, his
>"SOVIET MILITARY POWER -- The Pentagon's Propaganda 
>Document, Annotated and Corrected by Tom Gervasi"  (published by 
>Vintage Books/Random House, January  1988).  

I read them both. At best they where the rambelings of somebody with
little real experience in operational analysis of weapon systems. By
no means can they be considered conclusive.

>Page 67:
>"  A critical element of the [Reagan] administration's campaign, 
>therefore, has been a broad series of accusations, regularly repeated, 
>of Soviet expansionism, 

Baltic nations, Eastern Europe, Hungary 1957, Checksolvakia 1968,
Afganistan 1890's. I think a reasonable case can be made to call the
Soviets expansionist.

>Soviet violations of arms treaties, 

Even they admitted they violated the ABM treaty. Defectors have stated
that other agreements may also have been violated. Over the weekend it
was revealed that they failed to dismantle biological warfare facilities
in violation of treaty.

>Soviet intransigence in arms negotiations, 

A matter of opinion but I think they where. 

>Soviet initiatives in the arms race, 

I'm not sure what you mean here.

>Soviet planning for nuclear war, 

That's a given. I have read their own documents describing tactical
doctrine. Theater nuclear weapons are treated as nothing more than
large bombs.

>Soviet use of inhumane weapons,

I believe in Afganistan they used mines designed to look like toys so
they would explode when children picked them up. Certainly their doctrine
on tactics (which I have read) assume the use of Nuclear Biological and
Chemical (NBC). I think NBCs are generally considered inhumane.

>Soviet violations of human rights, 

I don't think we need to comment on that one.

>and Soviet support of violence and terrorism throughout the world.

Declassified russian records indicate that the Soviets where indeed
supplying at least the IRA. I know of others.

>   The book examines these accusations and finds that, **apart from
>Soviet human rights violations** [my emphasis],... almost all of the
>remaining charges are wholly without foundations.  

And yet each and every one of these charges is in fact correct. Looks
like Reagan and the Pentagon knew more about the Soviets than your
favorite author.

      Allen

-- 
+---------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Allen W. Sherzer | "If they can put a man on the Moon, why can't they     |
|  aws@iti.org     |  put a man on the Moon?"                               |
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