THE SALT SELLERS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP88-01315R000400380065-9
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: December 8, 2004
• Sequence Number: 65
• Publication Date: May 15, 1979
• Content Type: NSPR

Approved For Release 2005/01112 : CIA-RDP88-01315R0004003800
ATLANTA JOURNAL-GA.
15 197
r 0?
WLT% A SALT agreement between the United States and the
Union corning together, with a date and place se-
i- cte~_1 for the Cuter-Brerhaev signing ceremony, and with
Secretary of State Cyrus Vance frantically trying to head off
changes in the Senate, you can be sure that the selling of
SA.L'l will be lavishly backed by the administration.
Fer example, at the end of this week the Atlanta Chamber
of Caanmerce will host its annual Armed Forces Day luncheon.
i,;Lst year the speaker was Gen. Louis H. Wilson, commandant
of the Marine Corps. This year the speaker is retired Army Lt.
Gen. George M. Seignious.
Gen. Seignious is bead of the Arms Control and Disarma-
ment Agency, having succeeded that cooing dove, Paul Warnke,
late last year.
While Lam not privy to what Gen. Seignious will touch on
in his luncheon 3'ech, if I were a wagering man I would give
bea'ry odds that his entire address will consist of soothing syrup
for the purpose of selling SALT.
Nor is Gen. Seignious unique. You can be sure that as re-
quasts have poured into the Pentagon for Armed Forces Day
speakers, Defense Secretary Harold Brown has seen to it that
all those who go out will tout the administration line that SALT
is the only prescription for peace in the world. Anyone on ac-
tive service will realize his career is on the line and he will do
as he is ordered, no matter his real feelings on the matter.
After all, there are precious few men who have the guts of
Maj. Gen. John K. Singlaub.
And all the SALT selling brings to mind the double talk
found in George Orwell's "1384," in which war is peace and
peace is war.
in ' it publication, National .Security tec cod, the Her1#age
Foundation has come forthwith some disturbing facts regard-
ing the selling of SALT in 1978. By disturbing is meant the
amount of government time and government effort and goYern-
ment money-all of which is financed by your taxes--expeoded
in an effort to lull the public and the public's represeofatives
into a false zense of security.
The Heritage Foundation's report )s based on a reei*i+ of
i t:rr-ai State Department year-end activities rt:ptrt'bs"'.fir
i xl'eil out events in which State Department officials peartici-
ie`lr
It showed that in selling SALT the State Department used
earances of its peal last year.
a
bli
pp
c
more than 1,1011 pu
The costs were placed at more than $600,090. And those figures
do not include appearances by members of the Defense Depart-
ment and White douse personnel.
The report shows that selling SALT required the efforts of
nearly 100 different State officials.
"By contrast," National Security Record points out, 'the
CIA is reported to have about half as, many senior analysts
evaluating Soviet strategic programs."
Well, its easy to see where the Carter administration
places its priorities.
Keep in mind that the 1,126 public appearances by State
Department officials-plus God knows how many public ap-
pearances by Defense Department officials and White House
personnel- were done in a low level year before the treaty
was completed.
National Security Record quoted one State Department
official to this effect:
"if you could see the number of. events planned for the
week of the announcement (of SALT 11) and the week of the
signing-well, they make those (1970) figures look like chicken
feed."
After all, it's only the public's money that is being lav-
ished in all directions to sell the public on a treaty that is not
verifiable and can only lead to unquestioned Soviet military su-
periority over the declining United States.
In the preceding issue of National Security- Record, the
sticky problem of verification was explored and this revealing
observation was attributed to Admiral Godfrey, Britain's director of Naval Intelligence in World War If:
1. There exists an unwillingness of autboelty to believe
information that has awkward political implications;
2. The tendency of military officers, and others who have
taken part in negotiations, to become advocates of the integrity
of persons with whom they secured the agreement, and to lose
the skepticism which is part of vigilance;
3. Technicians may not b the best judges of cneirrp bten-
Lions and achievement. They kind it hard sometimes to believe
that what they cannot do or have not thought of doing ha& been
done by the other side-.
Those are worth thinking about as. we hear the cooing of
the SALT sellers.
Approved For Release 2005/01/12 : CIA-RDP88-01315R000400380065-9