Page 8 The Other Press November 10th to.

 

 

 

cruising, american s

By MURIEL DRAAISMA
THE UBYSSEY

 

It has been called a terrain-hugging weapon. It can

 

flies over mountains, and through valleys, at an mor
altitude of about 90 feet. It is small, about 20 feet higt
long, and can be stored in a Safeway truck, a barn or offe
even your own backyard. Kept on course by a It
Canadian-made electronic guidance system, it has a mis:
50 per cent chance of hitting within 100 yards of its havi
target. aim
This deadly weapon is the cruise missile, probably unst
the most accurate missile the United States has, ~ dep!)
according to one peace activist. The U.S. plans to T
test it in Canada sometime in the near future, and to mis:
deploy it in Europe in 1984. bec:
Because the cruise missile flies so close to the reas
ground, radar cannot detect it. Its size enables it to sucl
be hidden from view and makes surveillance by Anc
orbiting satellites impossible. Scie
‘‘The cruise missile cannot be monitored by the 3
opposing side. They can’t verify it because they Rus
can’t see it,’” says Dianne DeMille, End the Arms Says
Race committee treasurer. ‘‘This makes arms mal:
control treaties very difficult. To negotiate a treaty, U
each side’s weapons must be counted up and offic
categorized. You cannot do this with cruise beli
missiles.”’ “Th
Nuclear weapons are divided into two categories - ha
strategic (long range), and tactical (medium and is
short range). The latter are to be deployed in poli
Europe. Judging from the outside, there is no way of g
telling whether the cruise missile is long, short or Can
medium range, DeMille says. at th
If the Americans deploy cruise missiles, the in |
Soviets will tollow suit, she says, adding that once testi
both superpowers have this lethal weapon, agree- the
ment on verification and arms control treaties will be MXN. Can

almost impossible.

“The cruise missile is built to fight a nuclear war. The world is inamore dangerous situation nowthan it terra

Its undetectability once launched and its accuracy : : com|
makes nuclear war much more probable.” has ever been. Unless we get busy, the world is going TI
Peter Prongos, Canadians Against the Cruise u" wou
spokesperson, agrees the cruise missile is a to be destroyed ; ; wea
first-strike weapon. He cites its explosive power (it : Linus Pauling air

 

 

 

 

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