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While there has been talk of an alliance between Reagan and John Paul II, there was no alliance between the Administration and the Roman Catholic bishops in the United States. Never was this so visible than at the time of the drafting of 'The Challenge of Peace,'? the bishops'pastoral letter attacking U.S. nuclear deterrence policy. This essay explores the strategy employed by the Reagan Administration to counter the bishops. It focuses on Washington's efforts to enlist the Vatican's assistance, and tries to determine whether John Paul II's answer to the letter, perceived as favorable to U.S. interests, was in any way the sign of an 'alliance'? between the Holy See and the United States.