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Missile Defense

Technology has always found its greatest consumer in a nation's war and defense efforts. Since the last attempts at a "Star Wars" defense system, has technology changed considerably enough to make the latest Missile Defense initiatives more successful? Can such an application of science be successful? Is a militarized space inevitable, necessary or impossible?

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rshow55 - 07:59am Jun 29, 2002 EST (#2770 of 3066)

Verbal deal between M. Robert Showalter and William J. Casey for Showalter's work situation, as set out, to the what he claims is the best of his knowledge and belief, by Showalter.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:

From Jan 1972:

On completion of tasks:

Compensation: Soldier's pay. (Pay and pension equivalent to a successful military officer - back pay bearing reasonable interest. ) *

Promises of rank, position, or honors: None whatsoever, either express or reasonably implied, except just below. *

Reasonable efforts would be made to permit me to live and function effectively - and I for my part would do what I reasonably could to preserve the interests and infrastructure of the US, and to make my work useful. The implication, on both sides, not worked out in detail but with aspects both expressed and reasonably implied, was that some way, involved with some organization, not necessarily governmental, I could do "Robert Showalter" problems, in ways where I'd have a reasonable fighting chance of getting them used by the full society.

Prior to completion of work:

Everything I did of reasonable interest of the government was to be treated as classified. *

The government could shoot me at any time, without discussion or warning. I agreed to maintain myself in an easily shootable condition. *

If I found it necessary to modify things I'd agreed to, I could do so, subject to all penalties and risks - but I promised to only do so if I felt it was in the compelling national interest that I do so, and also felt that I would have been given permission to do so, if time and contact for a "fair hearing" had been available.

On Casey's "pulling the plug" on the Oppenheimer offering for the AEA-Ford Contract

We had a mutual expectation that the AEA deal would be salvaged, but if it were not, on completion of tasks, AEA investors and creditors were to be paid their money back, with reasonable interest accrued - but on a basis that was uncomplicated for the government in all other respects. *

On "coming in".

Casey promised that people would "keep an eye on me" and if I had work that I regarded as justifying my "coming in" -- they would, if they agreed that my judgement was correct, bring me in. *

- * Denotes additional clarifying context and details, not in any way inconsistent with statements in the Executive Summary above, to be prepared and posted, along with as much explanation of "what really matters" as I feel comfortable posting on this forum. Details will be set out as fast as I can post them and check them today. I believe that this summary, and what will follow, is true, in the national and world interest generally, and insofar as I can tell after checking as carefully as I can, safe.

Summary of my position. One can argue against meeting committments to me, for a number of reasons due to defects in execution, defects or indeterminacies in the agreement, unpredictable changes in circumstances, and the passage of time. I understand that. Nonetheless, I believe, not for reasons of legality, but of morality, that the part of the agreement pertaining to the AEA investors and creditors should be honored.

rshow55 - 11:25am Jun 29, 2002 EST (#2771 of 3066)

MD2116 rshow55 5/9/02 9:34am includes this:

AEA was an effort to make specific breakthroughs in automotive design, which were made; to greatly extend the culture's ability to apply and fit mathematical analysis to complex engineering tasks; to demonstrate a new engineering business structure generalizing Lockheed's "skunk works"; and was a test bed that the government and I hoped would let me find the "hidden problem" in applied mathematics that seemed crucial in missile guidance and much else.

I've been interested in AEA type organizations since 1969, and was encouraged to be. I've been interested in the technical problesms above since 1970, and was encouraged to be. In addition, I was interested in, and encouraged to be interested in, fighting and peacemaking, issues in crypto and engineering analogs of crypto, issue of machine translation and logic, and other things of interest to the government, and was encouraged to be. From 1970 on, I was given special attention in some ways similar to that given Will in the movie Good Will Hunting - - but without the rebellion - and I worked in ways that I thought, and government people I worked with thought, were the opposite of rebellions - the opposite of anti-social. I had some of the training that is in some inaccurate ways depicted in The Bourne Identity - - not as an assassin, but as background, and to see how I handled it. I was very concerned, and people around me were concerned, with the difficulties and instabilities treated in the movie The Sum of All Fears , and also the movie Thirteen Days - - and people thought, and I thought, that I could make a contribution. I worked hard to do so - for selfish reasons, and because I was concerned. I've continued to work on some of these issues on this thread. MD2000 rshow55 5/4/02 10:39am

I was given access to every piece of information about these issues that anybody thought I could possibly use, and any that I asked for. I wasn't as smart as Will is depicted as being, but I was reasonably able, and worked hard.

In January 1972 there was a problem. I refused a direct order - under great pressure - and there was an escalating fight. For reasons that I may have been wrong about, but felt strongly about, I could not be compelled to do what I was told to do. This produced an awkward situation.

rshow55 6/29/02 7:59am describes agreements and efforts growing out of that situation.

I will post a good deal more on this subject by 1:OO, NY time. I appreciate the chance the NYT has given me to post here, and the attention that gisterme and others who seem to have government associations have shown, as well.

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