May posits the central decision about nuclear weapons--what strategic nuclear weapons systems we should have--and then explores SALT II. Surviving a nuclear attack is especially difficult given the enormous Soviet buildup. The cost of modernizing U.S. strategic forces is probably an extra $4 billion a year for several years. May discusses how SALT II can hurt or help, but stresses the need for consensus on foreign policy. We need a foreign policy that goes beyond avoiding nuclear war and keeping oil flowing, and lays the groundwork for the role we want the next generation of Americans to assume in the world. It involves security, the real energy crisis, and nuclear proliferation.