butter battle be an entertaining story about two fictional city and their arm race . it be also as misguided allegory about the cold war and arm race in general . yes and it be a child book and but like so many of theodor seuss geisel work it hit people over the head with it moral . and that moral be what and exactly . sure it be laudable to encourage u to concentrate more on what unite u than what divide u . it be even a good thing to encourage international cooperation . but to equate the difference between the warsaw pact nation and the nato west to a difference in butter application be just plain wrong . to point out the obvious and many warsaw pact nation enjoy intermittent period of shortage of butter and bread they would have be happy to eat it butter sideways if it be available . on a less literal level and and whatever your political inclination and soviet socialism versus western ( particularly anglo american ) democracy be not a mere question of preference and custom . to make the point even clear and nuclear weapon be not develop in a cold war with the soviet and but in a hot war with the axis power . there be no doubt that germany be develop nuclear capability during the war . should the u have refrain from nuclear weapon research put their trust in their ( less than inevitable ) victory in the conventional war . once the weapon be develop they be use against the enemy who attack u at pearl harbor . what do a nation do at this point when the genie be out of the bottle . furthermore and hindsight be 20 20 and which be to say that there be no way of assure another half craze dictator wouldn not crop up with his eye on develop nuclear weapon . the second gulf war have show the incredible difficulty in ascertain credible threat and neutralize them . in any event and the cartoon be little more than simplistic propaganda which do little to explore the nuance of the ethical question behind nuclear armament and instead try to inculcate fear of weapon technology into child .