The Best Enemy Money Can Buy by Antony C. Sutton
This hardcover edition presents Antony C. Sutton's meticulously documented investigation into U.S.-Soviet technology transfer during the Cold War. Using government and corporate sources, Sutton demonstrates how Soviet military technology became heavily dependent on American and allied contributions through trade agreements and exchange programs.
Documentation and Evidence
Sutton compiled mountains of documentation from government and corporate archives to support his research. The book traces the transfer of critical materials and technology, including copper wiring, military trucks, tank technology, missile guidance systems, computers, and even Space Shuttle technology. Each claim is backed by official sources, making this a reference work for researchers studying Cold War geopolitics and East-West relations.
Strategic Trade Analysis
The book challenges the concept of peaceful trade with the Soviet Union, arguing that Soviet policy treated all trade as strategic. Sutton examines how multi-national corporations pursued contracts without considering long-term security implications. The work explores cases where American plants were defended by Marxist troops in Angola, and how sold technology returned to threaten American forces.
The Defense Paradox
Sutton presents the paradox of spending $300 billion annually on defense against an adversary that American trade policies helped create and sustain. The book documents specific instances of technology transfer and analyzes their impact on Soviet military capabilities. This analysis provides context for understanding Cold War military expenditures and strategic policy decisions.
Historical Context
Published by Dauphin Publications, this work serves as a historical record of Cold War-era international trade practices. Sutton's research covers government documentation, corporate records, and policy decisions that shaped U.S.-Soviet relations. The book offers insight into how business interests intersected with national security concerns during this period.
With mountains of documentation, mostly from government and corporate sources, Sutton shows that Soviet military technology is heavily dependent on U.S. and allied gifts, "peaceful trade" and exchange programs. We've built for, sold or traded, or given outright to the Communists everything from copper wiring and military trucks to tank technology, missile guidance technology, computers - even the Space Shuttle. Peaceful trade is a myth ... to the Soviets all trade is strategic. The paradox is that we spend $300 billion a year on a defense against an enemy we created and continue to keep in business. The deaf mute blindmen, as Lenin called them, are the multi-national businessmen who see no further than the next contract, who have their plants defended by Marxist troops (in Angola); who knowingly sell technology that comes back to kill and maim Americans.
