Competition and Destruction in American Culture

I have yet to finish His Master's Voice but so far...it's basically a mindfuck. Pardon the harsh language, but I'm trying desperately to make sense of the book. I'm sure that it will be further revealed to me once I reach the end, but getting there is a bit rough. The ending had better be worth it. One thing that has stood out to me while reading Stanislaw Lem's book however, is the way in which humanity handles the discovery of the recording. The actions taken by the scientists say a lot about the nature of man and the culture that has developed in America. Although the novel was written in the context of the Cold War, some of the government's actions seem like they would still take place today. In the book, the reaction of the U.S. government is to keep the discovery of the recording a secret until they can uncover its secrets for themselves. This is because of the feelings of mistrust between the U.S. and its rivals (namely, the Soviet Union) and the arms race that exists. Although this context is no longer very relevant, the idea that the U.S. would try to hide such a discovery remains plausible. The U.S. still has enemies and still maintains a high level of competitiveness, although it more often presents itself economically. For these reasons, I believe that there is still a high probability that if the U.S. were to discover a something like in His Master's Voice it would remain a secret in order to gain an advantage or even just to handle things in what the powers-that-be see as the right way.

Since I haven't read to the end of the book yet, I don't know how things are going to pan out, but the last thing I read was that the scientists discovered the possibility of a nuclear bomb that could be detonated in one place and destroy everything in a completely different location. Now, I can see the direction that this might go in. The reason that Donald Prothero hesitates to present his findings to those in power is that he knows what will be done with the information. He fears the destruction that will follow. If the possibility of a weapon exists, rest assured the government will find a way to develop it. In this light, I am wary of how the book will end. Just as I am wary of how the U.S. would react to a discovery like the recording from space. I would like to imagine that science and discovery would take precedence but this can't be assured when there are other, often stronger, political interests at hand.