HE HAS been rightly eulogised as an American patriot with an enduring optimism about the future of his country. But Ronald Reagan’s optimism sometimes caused him to see more promise in projects than clear scientific assessment suggested they deserved.
Take his ideas for a strategic defence: Reagan called on scientists to build an impenetrable shield that would make nuclear weapons obsolete. Military contractors thought it was a fantastic concept. And why not? Building such a system would assure their financial prosperity even if technical success proved elusive. But most scientists were sceptical. Today, the idea has given way to a far more limited defensive scheme that…
