Kris Neville's "Cold War" (short story, cold war): US military superiority is a double edged sword...

US is the only country with space stations - 9 of them. Only, they aren't the kind we understand by space station today. They're military bases, always ready to attack by nuclear weapons any point on the earth. In fact, they did attack a Russian rocket when Russians tried getting to space.

But US president is facing a dilemma. While this gives US enormous power in world affairs, the military men manning the stations are going literally mad one after another; stress of the job, so much power at their fingertips, is throwing them bonkers. What should the president do?

Collected in.

1. John W Campbell, Jr (ed)'s "The Astounding Science Fiction Anthology".

Fact sheet.

First published: Astounding, October 1969.
Rating: B.
Among the stories edited by John Campbell for Astounding/Analog.
Related: Stories of  Kris Neville.