Hi, Lee Lofaso!
I read your message from 09.10.2018 20:30

  LL>>> JFK and Kruschev realized that nuclear weapons needed to be
  LL>>> controlled, and limited. Back then, only a small handful of
  LL>>> countries had them. Today, even small countries have them. With
  LL>>> many other countries able to make them. We should expand the
  LL>>> START treaty, or the START II treaty, to include other countries
  LL>>> besides the US and Russia. Buth US President Trump and Russian
  LL>>> President Putin can set an example for the world, in this regard.
  LL>>> So why not call for a summit, with World Peace in mind? After
  LL>>> all, it is World Peace Day.

  ak>> In general, nuclear weapon is a weapon of defense.

  LL> Defense? Against what? Other nuclear weapons? How many times does
  LL> one side have to nuke the other before the entire world comes to an
  LL> end? You do realize the war after WWIII will be fought with sticks
  LL> and stones...

Simply suppose, for instance, that the USSR would not have obtained 
nuclear weapon in 1949. In this case it would have been nuked and ruined 
by the USA. They feared Communism even more than the USSR itself. But 
the fear that the USSR could strike back, with nuclear weapon, always 
restrained the USA. That's why nuclear weapon is the weapon of defense. 
BTW, American nuclear scientists understood it well, and they passed 
many nuclear secrets to the USSR. It facilitated the USSR nuclear 
program strongly.

  ak>> Only one country planed not once to use nuclear weapon first, to
  ak>> prevent others from getting nuclear weapon too, and you certainly
  ak>> know who.

  LL> It was not one country that planned to do such things. Just one
  LL> man - Harry S Truman.

And the USA generals. I don't think such a decision is made by one person.

  LL> FDR had Stalin had a much different plan. They even discussed it,
  LL> possibly along with Winston Churchill. The plan was for Russia to
  LL> assist the US in defeating Japan after Germany was taken care of.

  LL> Both the US and Russia had been trying to develop atomic weapons.
  LL> It is not likely FDR would have authorized use of atomic bombs to
  LL> defeat Japan. After the war, he most likely would have shared the
  LL> knowledge with Stalin, as most historians believe the two of them
  LL> had developed a personal friendship.

Friendship means nothing. Hitler and Stalin were in good relations 
before 1941. Or take Churchill who also had good relations with Stalin 
but then delivered his Iron Curtain Speech in Fulton.


  ak>> In my opinion, however, the fact that WW3 has not still happened
  ak>> after WW2 is due to nuclear weapon.

  LL> We will never know how close such a war never came. And just
  LL> because it has not happened does not mean it never will.

Yes, with nuclear weapon on both sides it is unlikely.

  LL> "The war to end all wars" (WWI) was supposed to be the last war
  LL> mankind would ever fitht. "It will be over by Christmas" - or so
  LL> people said. So much for predictions.

  LL> WWI came to an end. Nobody could have predicted how short a time it
  LL> would be before WWII.

  LL> New START is in effect until 2021. Can be extended by 5 years, if
  LL> both parties agree. Fewer nukes means a safer world for all.

The last sentence is very dubious. The USA wants the other countries not 
to have nuclear weapon only for one reason - the USA hates an idea of 
having dialog on equal terms, especially with small, weak countries.

Bye, Lee!
Alexander Koryagin
fido7.fidonews 2018
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