ABSTRACT
In the years since World War II, the American political system has been subjected to a series of recurrent, almost chronic challenges whose implications may well cause thoughtful men to question the capacity of that system to survive. Two superficially dissimilar examples of these challenges are supplied by the crisis following the failure of the China policy in the late 1940's and the "Sputnik" crisis of October 1957. The response of the United States to these events will be critically important in at least two respects. First, if Americans' reactions are sufficiently inappropriate, they can lead to the disintegration and the destruction of the alliance that they lead. This is a prime target; the preferred objective of Soviet power is not the physical destruction of this country but the elimination of the leadership of the United States. The second respect in which their responses will be critically important is closely related but distinguishable.
