I might suppose that a significant reason why the nuclear arms race did not come to blows was the balance of espionage between NSA/CIA/KGB etc. With accurate information on your enemy, one is less likely to be panicked into a preemtive strike. Jay Holovacs <holovacs@ios.com> PGP Key fingerprint = AC 29 C8 7A E4 2D 07 27 AE CA 99 4A F6 59 87 90 On Thu, 25 Jan 1996 hallam@w3.org wrote:
By not taking adequate steps to inform itself of the Japaneese intentions the US suffered the loss of a substantial part of the US fleet at Pearl Harbour. Had sufficient resources been avaliable the naval codes could have been cracked in time. The closure of the Black chamber was a key reason why US espionage efforts were inadequate at the start of WWII.
Given the choice between the US Army and the CIA plus NSA I would choose the latter any day. The millitary hardware is useless without intelligence operatives. Unless Perry is advocating an absolutist pacifist stance I don't see that his stance is credible. I don't know many pacifists who oppose intelligence gathering.
Diplomatic trafic has always been considered fair game. Long may it remain so.
Phill