I would like to respond to the adverse comments made in these pages by Robert L. Park of the American Physical Society (APS) concerning my testimony before a committee of congressmen in May 1987 (September 7, 1987, P. 13).
I believe the merits of the Strategic Defense Initiative program inevitably will emerge as its development proceeds—if it receives adequate funding as well as the technical and administrative support it deserves.
The SDI organization (SDIO) does have a need, as does any similar enterprise, for an effective not-for-profit, federally funded research center—similar to the Lincoln Laboratory or the Aerospace Corp.—to give it wide access to various types of technological support. Along with others who have been deeply concerned about the security of the Free World and the Soviet Union’s aggressive buildup of space defense systems and offensive strategic weapons, I have urged Congress to authorize the creation of such a research ...
