Central America: 
Gunboat Diplomacy
Bristling with firepower, the aircraft 
carrier Ranger made a rendezvous
with seven other warships in the
Pacific last week, then headed for
"maneuvers" off Nicaragua. The
U.S. show of force did serve as a
clear warning to Nicaragua's
Sandinista regime to shape up soon
or risk being brought down. To help
sell his policy to a skeptical Congress
and public, the president drafted 
Henry Kissinger to head a bipartisan
panel on Central America.
Newsweek's cover package assesses Kissinger's new role and describes the conversion of Honduras into a bustling military nerve center.