Alas Babylon

The main theme of the "footnote" is war, a strategic look at the implementation of war. Hazzard then notes that his "footnote" is useless, that once hydrogen bombs and weapons became commonplace, war became obsolete.... it was no longer a tactic but suicide.

"You see, I confused the tactical with the strategic. I think we all did. The truth is this. Once both sides had maximum capability in hydrogen weapons and efficient means of delivering them there was no sane alternative to peace.

"Every maxim of war was archaic. The rules of Clausewitz, Mahan, all of them were obsolete as the Code Duello. War was no longer an instrument of national polity, only an instrument for national suicide. War itself was obsolete. So my `Footnote' deals with tactical palavers of no real importance. We might as well have been playing on the rug with lead soldiers."