‘Star Wars’ and Arms Control

I fervently hope that my grandchildren will live in a world where security is not maintained by the threat of nuclear annihilation. This goal may seem idealistic to some, but it is far more appealing than the combination of fear and technology that Luxenberg, among others, would depend on.

There is no miracle in the absence of a Soviet-American war. The horrors of Dresden, Leningrad, Dachau and Hiroshima have burned the terrible images of global strife too deeply into our souls to allow it to happen again.

Yet, Luxenberg is correct in saying that deterrence cannot last forever. It must end either in destruction or in peace based on trust and reason. Not once does he mention the possibility of an end to the Cold War. The ghastly alternative is clear.

Hundreds of fragile, billion dollar, orbiting space platforms, which cannot protect us in the foreseeable future, do not make me feel more secure. Knowing that we live in peace with the Soviets, just as we do with other former enemies such as the British, Spanish, Germans and Japanese, will.

I cannot offer a clever way out of this quagmire of hate. Still, the billions for SDI would do better in the hands of social scientists, not weapons researchers.

DAVID LOUIS LEVINE

Pasadena