The current debate about missile defense is about the future, as it should be. But to understand the terms and positions of the ongoing dialogue, a deeper undertanding of the origins of missile defense and its political and technological development is crucial. Our historical narrative and timeline will be complete soon.

The Commonwealth Club has been fortunate to host numerous speakers on missile defense during periods when the subject has been high on the public agenda. We hope that the talks by proponents of missile defense such as Edward Teller and skeptics such as Frances FitzGerald will provide insights into the subtleties of the issue.

And, of course, no discussion of missile defense would be complete without serious consideration of President Ronald Reagan's call in 1983 for a defense to make nuclear weapons "impotent and obsolete." More than any other individual, Reagan personifies missile defense, and, whether you agree or disagree with him, the influence of his rhetoric cannot be denied.