Better a Shield Than a Sword: Perspectives on Defense and Technology. Edward Teller. The Free Press, New York, 1987. 225 pp. $19.95.


Edward Teller has written a remarkable book. But then that should not be surprising. He is a very remarkable man. Teller is one of the great scientists of our time and his scientific contributions as sure him a place in the history of physics. He is also a philosopher and a man who has had a decisive influence on the thinking of America's major political leaders since the end of World War II.

In Better a Shield Than a Sword, Teller deals with many subjects that have held his attention over the years. The nature of freedom has always been uppermost in his mind. He describes his experiences as a teenager in Hungary where, in quick succession, both fascist and communist tyrannies held sway. There is...

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