Katzenbach Says America Must Regain Technological Superiority

The United States must make sure that deterrence to Soviet aggression is maintained by "regaining technological superiority," Edward L. Katzenbach, Director of the Defense Studies Program, said last night. If we accomplish this end, he added, we will hold the respect of our allies.

Katzenbach devoted the opening moments of his talk to an off-the-cuff discussion of America's present position in the missile program race. "We're behind because of our own stupidity, our own narrow-mindedness, our own close-fisted-ness," he charged.

Katzenbach then discussed the "difficulties inherent in our alliance system" in a speech before the International Development Society. He pointed out that despite these difficulties America needs allies "to keep up our overseas base structure as well as our warning system."

Although the strongest member of an alliance is all-powerful during a war, he pointed out, the "underdog gets back" during a peacetime or cold war situation. "Thus," he said, "the alliance meets with enormous difficulties."

Katzenbach said that we must help our allies in order to keep them. First of all, we must see to it that they "maintain order within the borders of their own state."

Another important point, Katzenbach said, is to help them in resisting aggression from outside. "We must guarantee them the same kind of protection against the enemy as we have," he commented.