Word: neutron
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...years to devote a greater share of the national budget to social programs than to defense. Gerald Ford proposed some modest increases in real defense spending, but they were trimmed back by the overwhelmingly Democratic Congresses of his day. Jimmy Carter closed a Minuteman assembly line, canceled the neutron bomb and delayed cruise missile production. The public's insistence on "no more Viet Nams" and a hope that détente with the Soviet Union would make war unlikely contributed heavily to the military-spending hold-downs and stretch-outs. And if that did not constitute trouble enough, the Pentagon added...
...line to the Soviets are not always diplomatically sound and have upset U.S. allies, particularly in Europe, on several occasions. Secretary of State Alexander Haig has often found himself "clarifying" or otherwise cleaning up after Weinberger's seemingly casual references to such explosive issues as reviving plans for the neutron bomb, linking arms control to Soviet policy in Poland or selling arms to China. While Weinberger has not really trespassed on Haig's turf, he has not hesitated to express views that differ from those of the Secretary of State. He opposed, for example, Haig's effort...
...Haig is seen as being overly sympathetic to the Europeans, despite their reluctance to commit sufficient funds to beef up NATO. At the State Department, Weinberger is regarded as clumsy and even downright crude in his approach to military issues that have diplomatic overtones, such as deployment of the neutron bomb and the upgrading of Theater Nuclear Forces in Europe...
After only a year or so of operation, enough plutonium (about 35 Ibs.) could be generated in a small reactor to build two or three bombs of the type dropped on Nagasaki. The plutonium would be formed into a hollow sphere containing a small neutron source that might be made of radium and beryllium. The plutonium itself would be wrapped in a beryllium or uranium reflector, which helps contain neutrons and prolong the chain reaction. This shield would in turn be covered by a layer of TNT charges, the most critical aspect of the design. The charges would have...
Haig is sensitive to the appearance of zigzag confusion in irreconcilable statements put out by various Administration spokesmen on such issues as a trade embargo if the Soviets invade Poland or potential U.S. construction of the neutron bomb. He is pushing hard for consistency. One major concern at the NATO meeting was what Weinberger - regarded by Europeans as a loose cannon - would do and say at a gathering this week of the Atlantic Alliance's defense ministers. Said one aide: "Haig wants Weinberger to sing from the same sheet music...