Hit to Kill; The New Battle Over Shielding America From Missile Attack

xxxii, 430, [2] pages. Illustrations. Cast of Characters. Chronology. Glossary. Notes. Index. DJ has slight wear and soiling. The author is a longtime military and foreign affairs correspondent for The Washington Post. Graham had a distinguished career with the Washington Post as a reporter and editor, focusing primarily on foreign and national security affairs. He is also the author of two books - Hit to Kill, an account published in 2001 of renewed U.S. efforts to build a national missile defense system, and By His Own Rules, a biography of Donald Rumsfeld. The author argues that the United States has no way of preventing a nuclear missile attack upon its territory; thus, this is the story of the "frustratingly elusive dream" of creating a nationwide antimissile system that all presidents since Johnson have pursued. Graham focuses on the Clinton administration, but in doing so, he uncovers the broader complexities and pitfalls of creating an antimissile system. Derived from a Kirkus Review: Graham, an old hand at reporting military affairs for the Washington Post, provides a balanced overview of America's capacity to protect itself against incoming missiles. A hostile missile shot at the US has good odds of hitting home, or certainly better odds of hitting home than of being intercepted and destroyed. Nobody had the technological know-how to build a functional missile-defense system. Neither an alarmist nor a proponent of either side in the debate, Graham is able to deliver a concise historical survey of the national missile defense program, from its Cold War days right up through the administration of Bush II. As Graham points out, during the Cold War the problems were technological and financial. With the end of the Cold War came new questions about how real the threat was but when North Korea launched a long-distance missile in 1998, potential threats became clear and interest in missile defense was rekindled. First Edition [Stated], First Printing [Stated].…