The Nation : ‘Star Wars’ Advances Told

Defense Secretary Caspar W. Weinberger reported breakthroughs in technology for the proposed “Star Wars” defense against Soviet nuclear missiles. In a speech in Boston, Weinberger defended the Strategic Defense Initiative, a research and development program commonly known as “Star Wars,” which was first announced by President Reagan three years ago and designed to protect the United States from a Soviet missile strike. Recent advances in booster rocket technology have been made for a non-nuclear space-based interceptor vehicle, Weinberger said in an address at Tufts University.