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Suncoast Pasco News

Wrong Again

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BY AlFRED J. D’AMARIO

Published: October 24, 2007

Editor:

In his Oct. 13 column Charley Reese wrote the U.S. had "nothing to do with" the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Wrong. We thwarted the Soviets' expansionism in Berlin, with the airlift, and in Korea. Those MIGs weren't made in North Korea and many were flown by Russian pilots. We stopped them in the Cuban Missile Crisis. In addition to our naval blockade, the skies over Europe were criss-crossed with contrails of our nuclear armed
B-52s.

Khrushchev could see on his own radar the planes that would drop the first nukes on his cities if he didn't back off. And, he blinked.

Our Granada raid was not to rescue a few dozen medical students. It was to thwart the Soviets building a 12,000-foot runway in the Western Hemisphere for their nuclear bombers.

The Soviet economy didn't collapse by itself. President Reagan's "Star Wars" program spent them into bankruptcy. Charley can have Putin if he wants him. I doubt Putin would have him.

Alfred J. D'Amario
Hudson

The writer is a retired former Air Force officer.

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