NIXON'S COUNSELORS URGE DEFENSE SHIFT

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP75-00149R000500450102-8
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: April 9, 2010
• Sequence Number: 102
• Publication Date: January 1, 2000
• Content Type: NSPR

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Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/04/09: CIA-RDP75-00149R000500450102-8
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Nixon's Counselors
Urge Defense Shift
Reporters of The Washington Post have intensively inter-
viewed many of the men, inside and outside the Government,
who are contributing ideas and advice on national policy to
Vice President Richard M. Nixon. This is the sixth of a series
of articles based on these interviews.
By Murrey Marder
Staff Reporter
The advisers around Richard M. Nixon are urging
more effective defense forces to meet the threat of
"limited war," and greater attention to the potentialities
of science for war and peace.
There are many indications that the Vice President
privately concurs.
Because of President Eisenhower's preeminence in
military matters, Nixon publicly has backed the Presi-
dent down the line on every defense issue. But he has
also left himself room to shift the
according to "what our poten-", Close to
tial opponents are doing, and
also in the light of new tech-
nological development."
Nixon is carrying into the
campaign his broadsides
against those who talk about
the United States "being
second-class military power
" This kind of talk is ridicu-
! lous, he has said, for "Amer-
ica today is still, and under
proper leadership will remain,
the strongest nation militar-
iily, economically and morally
in. the world today."
A "second-class" posturq to
day is not what his own out-1
side advisers (and most critis)
are concerned- about. They,
agree the United States is
Senator Kennedy F pro-
poses 3-point.plan for Mid-
east, peace, pledges action
if elected. ' ' Page A12.
Nixon admits President
made important Adminis-
tration decisions. Page A2.
strong now. But some 'of them
are very uneasy about posFi-
ble future slippage. Others
are insistent upon a stronger
defense capability which will;
remove any t'oubt Rah, ever
that the United State,>> can I
withstand d Soviet thr c:rt or
thrust at any level.
emphasis to mq*
Secretary Gates
With all of Government
within his reach, axon has ex-
tended the knowledge of de-
fense policy which he gets on
the National Security Council
by private checking with top
officials.
He has a personal relation
ship with Defense Secretary
Thomas S. Gates Jr. Gates
often talks with Nixon when
Gates is about to make a
major policy speech. -Nixon's
Staff draws on other officials
and specialists in the Defense
Department for information
!and ideas, as well. -
For critical evaluations of
United States - d e f e n s e
strength, the Nixon forces also'
have gone to Republicans who
! have worked inside the Admin-
I istration in the past.
An example is Robert C.
`Sprague, a member of Nixon's
Policy Advisory Group.
Sprague, turned 60 this
, month, is a graduate of the
'Naval Academy, a post-gradu-
ate student at Massachusetts
Institute of Technology, and a
former Naval architect, who
twice has been called in by
the Eisenhower Administra,
25 YEAR RF-RFVIFVnn
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/04/09: CIA-RDP75-00149R000500450102-8