TO BUILD OR NOT TO BUILD OUR ANTI-MISSILE DILEMMA

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP70B00338R000300090107-8
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 19, 2016
• Document Release Date: January 9, 2006
• Sequence Number: 107
• Publication Date: January 15, 1967
• Content Type: NSPR

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JAN 15 1967
A r d For Re se 2006/01/30 : GIARDP70B00S 88000306090107-8
pp , 0 'try r .
ilemma
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By RUDY ABRAMSON cow, and has built a sophis-,'-
Wnrld Journal Tr',buneSpeclal ticated anti-aircraft system
WASHINGTON, Jan. 14-- at Leningrad, which can be-
Like street gangs headed fors modified for missile defense.
F. face-saving rumble the These sources believe the '
except Viet Nam. s upon its _ GYLOWING SUPPORT
r?
massive offensive capability- extensive anti-'aircraft
PR
'
.-
upset in the East-West stra- rnissilcs. such as their placing missiles; ~
change during the,:!
1tegic balance.. U. S. SUPERIORITY In `Cuba. doubtedfy
coming months, for missile
EFFORTS PRESSED This gives the United States Surprisingly, and for real defense will be one of the .
Already U.S. officials are unchallenged ICBM superior- Sons such. as this, the State most spirited issues before
seeking to talk the Russians ity. Defense Secretary Rob- Department Is probably more the Congress.
out of going into full-scale ert S. McNamara, says there in support of building' the Sen. Richard Russell (D.A
deployment of an anti-missile is no question they can reach Nike .X than is the Defense Ga.) and Rep. Mendel Rivers
system, The efforts will con- their targets. Moreover, the Department. Some of state's D.-S CJ, chairmen of the ,"
time next month when dis- secretary, convinced that the military experts believe 'the armed services committee,
armament talks renew at best defense is ? a strong Russians decided shortly, have made it clear they will'1
Geneva, offense, will ask Congress after they were, forced toy attempt to get .the withdraw Nike X
Until these efforts are next month for funds to their missiles from program going.
Wive" a chance, President begin development of the Cuba to develop -air anti-.,, i The decision has been held .1
rt?
Johnson has mdecided to hold Poseidon missile. missile system. so far because McNamara 4
off production of the V. S. But the fact'remains that Even though the Russians hLs been able to successfully u
Nike X missile system, esti- the United States has no de- apparently have not made; argue that a deployment de-'.
mated to cost $3 billion to fense against the most awe- a final decision on 'building, cision would be 'Premature."-
$30 billion. In recent months some weapon ever invented their, anti-Missile system, Ile concedes that no foresee-.'~
the stresses and strains over by man-the nose cone of an . there Is reason to believe they: able defensive system could
his decision have been a ICBM plunging down from ? will. I , give complete ' protection l
source of more stress and space at 18,000 miles ber' i They have :invested far,': against the kind of. saturation,
strain within the U. S.' gov- hour. more than the United States, 1, attack the Soviet Union 1s'
ernment than nearly any- Instead of defense per?se, r in development: of fallout capable of launching,
' thin the countt?y ..shelters and nave erected ar
relic
United States and the Soviet U.S.S.R. Is going through the
Union are at the brink of a same agonizing process that
tragic and costly new atomic the United States is following
arms race. In deciding whether to go
It's a race neither side ahead with a f u 11-s c a f e'
really wants. It started for system.
reasons neither clearly under- The Defense Department
, stands. It will be fought at has also conceded that the
1,; enormous cost on both sides, Russians are building ICBMs
and it will probably end with at a faster rate than has.,
the combatants having gained been estimated. They have
nothing. increased from 300 last May .
For its part, the United to estimates of 400 to 450
I
States is trying to' avoid a' now.
. race to deploy ballistic missile When the United States
defense systems by inlt.iating reaches ? full deployment of
,f; a. face-saving mutual agree- the nuclear-tipped missiles
ment. It appears to be the now operational, it will have
only alternative between ati '-some 1,000 Minutemen, 54
astronomically expensive new Titan IIs, and 656 sub-,
arms race and a dangerous marine-1 a u n c h e d Polaris .
1
ESIDENT
S WORDS
The President's decision to ' absorb a first strike and stnl ._. ? Neither the Soviet govern- `",has been largely confined toiy
was reflected in his State of- , to reduce the Soviet Union to
the Union message this week, rubble,
"We have the duty to slow The Russians' movement
down the arms race between , toward deployment ' of an
us, in both conventional and , anti-missile system has been.
nuclear weapons and de- widely interpreted here as an
o
s ns missile system, TT~~,,i~aa W t
Approved For Release 2006/01130? : CtA-RDP70B003`3R'03b
have forgotten the U-2 Incl.' tually everything. But nosy.'
dent of 1960. that the Soviet Union is movs?>,?
PUBLIC PRESSURE ~r ing toward a 'similar system
'and China has tested a i
If there are domestic pres missile - lnunohed atomic 4
cures on Soviet leadership to weapon, many middle-of-the-
go ahead with building an' road coneressmon a