Six top U.S physicists have concluded that the Bush administration was not truthful with it's NATO allies about U.S. missile defense plans in Eastern Europe. According to the physicists, Polish-based interceptors and a radar system in the Czech Republic could target and catch Russian missiles, thus threatening Russia's nuclear deterrent.

This supports Russia's criticism of the system. Russia strongly opposes the plan.

The Pentagon rejects the scientists' claims, saying their analyzes are flawed. The United States says the missile system is intended to counter a threat from Iran and could not take out Russian missiles. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has dismissed Russia's concerns as "ludicrous.''

But the six scientists, whose backgrounds include elite American universities, research labs and high levels of government, said in interviews that Russia's concerns were justified.

"The claim by the Missile Defense Agency is not correct,'' said Theodore Postol, a physicist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. "And it is hard to understand how they could get something so basic wrong.''

Guardian