Ted Turner Raps ‘Star Wars,’ Gets Chilly Response
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DAVOS, Switzerland — Media magnate Ted Turner, just back from the Soviet Union, launched a heated attack today on President Reagan’s Strategic Defense Initiative, or “Star Wars,” but got a frosty reception from top businessmen at the Davos Symposium.
Turner, whose right-wing views aroused controversy when he tried to buy the CBS television network last year, was supposed to talk on “The Media, Information and Democracy” but abandoned his subject early.
“You know the shuttle that blew up? That was high technology. And what’s SDI? High technology. What’s the whole nuclear weapons system? High technology,” Turner said.
Speaking of the arms race he said: “I think we should stop it and stop it today.”
The moderator of the discussion, former European Commission President Gaston Thorn, later chided Turner for failing to address his subject, and members of the audience also expressed their dismay.
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