Американцы представляйли свой неминуемый проигрыш так:
The unavoidable and awesome fact confronting the world today is that before the decade or even the year is out, the U.S. and Russia may be at war. On the U.S. estimate of Russian power depends—or should depend—the extent to which the U.S. will build up its own strength.
Russian strength is a question mark, but not as mysterious a question mark as is often assumed. Some of Russia's most important assets have always been obvious: the vastness of its land, the large numbers and great tenacity of its people. These assets are as good a defense against the atom bomb as they were against Napoleon's infantry or Hitler's Panzers. The other, and decisive, components of Russian power are far less obvious, i.e., the size and quality of its armed forces and its industrial potential.
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Russia has three other main assets: 1) defensive strength based on self-sufficiency and tight political control of its own people; 2) a position within reach of the industrial centers of Western Europe, which are not beyond the logistical tether of the Red army; 3) possession of atomic bombs which might be able to reduce U.S. and other Western production to the level of the U.S.S.R.
If allowed full use of these assets, Russis could win world domination by two wars, or two phases of one war.
First Phase. Russia would hold together under U.S. atomic bombing while the Red army took over Western Europe and the Communist Parties consolidated Red power in Asia. Meanwhile, Russian atomic bombing of the U.S. would try to force an armistice or, at least, throw the U.S. off balance so that its offensive strength could not be brought to bear.
Second Phase. Russia, controlling Western Europe and with help from Asiatic satellites, would have a productive base far stronger than that of the U.S. today. Most of today's limitations on Russian mobility could be overcome in five or ten years.
The present Russian strength makes Red victory in the first phase a distinct possibility. Russian victory in the first phase would make victory in the second phase a heavy probability.
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The unavoidable and awesome fact confronting the world today is that before the decade or even the year is out, the U.S. and Russia may be at war. On the U.S. estimate of Russian power depends—or should depend—the extent to which the U.S. will build up its own strength.
Russian strength is a question mark, but not as mysterious a question mark as is often assumed. Some of Russia's most important assets have always been obvious: the vastness of its land, the large numbers and great tenacity of its people. These assets are as good a defense against the atom bomb as they were against Napoleon's infantry or Hitler's Panzers. The other, and decisive, components of Russian power are far less obvious, i.e., the size and quality of its armed forces and its industrial potential.
<...>
Russia has three other main assets: 1) defensive strength based on self-sufficiency and tight political control of its own people; 2) a position within reach of the industrial centers of Western Europe, which are not beyond the logistical tether of the Red army; 3) possession of atomic bombs which might be able to reduce U.S. and other Western production to the level of the U.S.S.R.
If allowed full use of these assets, Russis could win world domination by two wars, or two phases
of one war.
First Phase. Russia would hold together under U.S. atomic bombing while the Red army took over Western Europe and the Communist Parties consolidated Red power in Asia. Meanwhile, Russian atomic bombing of the U.S. would try to force an armistice or, at least, throw the U.S. off balance so that its offensive strength could not be brought to bear.
Second Phase. Russia, controlling Western Europe and with help from Asiatic satellites, would have a productive base far stronger than that of the U.S. today. Most of today's limitations on Russian mobility could be overcome in five or ten years.
The present Russian strength makes Red victory in the first phase a distinct possibility. Russian victory in the first phase would make victory in the second phase a heavy probability.
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,813854-1,00.html