nerve agents also penetrate the skin. and money . . . and be able to sustain
The second kind of agent are mus- popular support, but if it drags on a
tards. ln the reports 1`ve read, the one long time and the cost gets higher and         `st_;\T  
the Iraqi’s used against their own peo- higher, then that’s when there may be  U . ,          ~.,_W `
ple is the mustard agents. Mustard problems with popular support. I’m I V ··  
agents are sometimes called mustard defining “‘a long time” as years. The    
gas, but that’s really a misnomer be- other thing that is important in addi- ’ ‘ _  
l cause it’s more of a liquid that can be tion to cost and the length of time is ` / gy i  
‘ sprayed. They work by attaching to pro- the perception of whether we’re deter- ,   1  
teins and DNA and other biological ; mined to win, and, whether we’re suc- li   .  
» components within the body. Those l ceeding in that goal. The thing that was ~  . 
r' things work by burning. lfyou got a l fatal in terms of Vietnam was the per-    
drop of the mustard on your skin, it ception that either we weren’t trying to  i` ·' xjqfi I
would burn a hole where it touched win or we couldn”t win. And therefore,   ;_», 
you. When you breathe, it would, of there was a perception, "ifyou’re not ‘ _  
course, ruin your lungs. Actually, going to try to win or you can’t win I;  gi 1
they’re very simple chemicals, but very, then why are you doing this?” T I
very, potent. i So, it`ll depend on perceptions of A Letter from |·||g lrgnt
The nerve agents can be decontami- l progress, it’ll depend on cost, it’ll de-
, nated or dissipate reasonably quickly. pend on ability of the President to sell :l “'°”l° l'° UK I"` “ Y°‘“`
~ They can be hydrolized under certain it, it`ll depend on a lot of different hasn I IINIII IIIIII ,l°III°II III°
_ _ _ _ y. I guoss that s why I
conditions fairly well. The mustard things. gd, YM". n°w,I°II.°I._ I rea",
agents can last quite a while. They get Right now Qanuary 1991) President •n|•yod It. l’v• Ilvod In Lex-
on the soil and water and on the top of (George) Bush has done an extraordi- I¤§I¤¤ $I¤¢¤ I W¤$ II¤|'••. $0
a tank. ; nary job ofmobilizing national and in- l"'° 'lw°Y’ l’°°” ° bl!
1`ve heard these agents described as I ternational support behind what he’s wlzdc-I I-II`
_ _ L _ I think tho rlbhons oro a
Third World atomic weapons because done. But, I think the support both na- 9,.,., Ham I saw · Iow
they are cheap and easy to make, where- tionally and internationally is thin; 1 hgfgrq | lglt but | lmqglng
as nuclear weaponry is very difficult don’t think it runs terribly deep. So, II\•|'•'$ ¤ I¤I' M0!'0 ¤\|I IWW-
and technologically requires a lot of ex- setbacks of one kind or the other or ll" uml klml °l ’°I’I’°" uml
t . . 4 . _ _ nmkos all this more boar-
pertise. But these chemical weapons   changesm the nature of the wai could able. I,m in In.-n"y no"'
are pretty easy to make. undermine that in different ways. SMP-., ov",. h°..° so W, I.-vo
* This is really man’s inhumanity to l And, there’ll be surprises. War is al- It about as rough as anyono
man. — I). Al/an Buttmfeld is {1 jzrofessor   ways full of surprises, and 1 think what ¤I$¤• BVI WIIII ¤||YI'I\I|'|9, II'!
and researrher in theDej1artme21.t of Chem- you have to do is to expect the unex- °" In Yu"' °"“°d° °"d "'°
. ._ _ . _ , _ _ try to koop In tho right
zstty and rlnertor 0] the Center oftklemtmme pected. Somebody wan ned Lyndon nam, °* mh"'.
I Srzenees. johnson, when he went into Vietnam lll Imnk IINI no man".
, ` in a big way in 1965 that once on the what, It's boon a good expo-
tigers back you can’t pick the place to !‘I•¤¢• ¤¤*I I’m !I¤¢I I"' IIN
Q. Vietnam and Desert Storm dismount. And I think that`s very well °I’I’°"'"'"Y l° d° mY °l""`°'
— What does Vietnam tell us taken. Once you get into a war you I lI°IIIIII°Iy WIIIIII Ii- IIIkIIIg
~ _ _ ·_ much for grantod attor all
about the will of the American have no sense of what direction 1t’s IIIIL A ..°.I I.°II•I and INI
people with regard to Desert going to take, where it may lead, and and cold running wator to
Storm? how you may get it over with, or get ¤¤Y I'I\• V¤FY I•¤iI'· w•II» I
yourself out. — George Herring is chair- lun w°'"°d l° say Tank
A. 1 think the conclusion that people person. 0ft}zeDe,bartment ofHistory and au- y°II° Ga BIG BIIIIEI
are drawing is that if the war is not won thor ofAmerim Iv Longest Nbr: The United _ Ju, g°..I"m°' L•x‘ng'°n
quickly, popular support for the current States and Vietnam 1950 to 1975. He is a
operation will erode and then presum- UK Alumni Profssor
ably disappear. 1 think it’s more than   ,
just the length of time that`s involved. Kay_/o/mson ‘86 is assistant editor of alum- -
Two other things are important. ni jzublications. Photo on page 6-7 is ry stu-
One is the cost . . . the war might go dents Greg Ousley, Ben Greet; and Nlarty
a long time at a relatively low cost level Moore. Photo at right is of_/ohh Yerhune.
in terms of blood and treasure, lives Bo/h photos were taken {gv fiemts in the field.
Spying |99)] Kentucky Alumnus 9