CARTER TO MEET 19 SENATORS 'CONCERNED' ABOUT SALT

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP88-01315R000400350002-1
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: December 10, 2004
• Sequence Number: 2
• Publication Date: December 17, 1979
• Content Type: NSPR

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-1--/L.. 17 December 1979
S
C. arter to Mee, ~p eaiators,i,
`Concer~.ed' About SAL'.'
By George C. Wilson
and Edward Walsh
Washington Post Staff writers
President Carter agreed last night
to meet with a g>;oup. of 19 senators
who earlier indicated to him that
their support of the SALT II arms
control treaty may hinge on his re-
sponse to their concerns about the
U.S. defense posture. 1 .1
They listed six points in a letter to
Carter.bearing today's date. and writ-
ten under the direction of Sen. Sam
Nunn (A-Ga.). The White. House is
anxious to persuade Nunn and several
others who signed the letter to vote
for SALT II, which is pending in the
Senate.
In reply, the president last night
signed an .identical four-paragraph let- .
ter to each of the senators that was
noncommittal on the six points that
they raised brit offered, in effect,, to
negotiate.
"I ... share your desire to achieve a
bipartisan consensus on these issues
of long-range national security, strat-
egy and arms control, and to that end :
we should begin these meetings at an
early date," Carter wrote. "I am confi-
dent we can find the common ground
on which the prompt ratification of
this treaty, so important to our na-
tional security and the peace of the
World, will be achieved."
White Houselofficials said Iast night
that the meetings that Carter' pro-
posed had not[:been set up, but they.
are expected toy be soon.
The signers of the Senate. letter rep-
resent a potentially decisive, voting:
Approved
bloc;` and in his. reply the president
spt?ved'notice that he is willing to con-
sIder further concessions to them in
bider to win approval of SALT.
;J Carter has already gone to some
3ongths to will over Nunn and other
tjefense-minded senators by approving
substantial increase in defense
4pentdirzg for next year -and promising..
'steady rise in military expenditures
r'the years ahead.
~'~ Itf -`discussing SALT II, the 19 sena-
;fmrssaid that they were "concerned"
gat the terms in the protocol might
yeti"d precedent for future-arms con-
kol pacts. They also indicated they
'gere. troubled by the ' latitude, the.
peaty would give the Soviets in de-
loving heavy missiles, by the Soviet
,I3ackfire bomber threat to the. United
"States, and by limitations on the ways
;,the..'United States could deploy its
Flew MX blockbuster intercontinental
missile..
ti `Corning to general concerns about
C1r15'" military balance between the
United States and, the Soviet Union,
the senators mentioned "ongoing. slip.
page" on the American Side, Soviet
imprdvements in tactical aircraft, and
a growing Soviet navy that threatens
"western supremacy on- the high
seas.
The senators complained that those
? Administration programs for Ira-'
proving intelligence gathering, Includ-
ing the reconstitution of "our sensi-
tive operational intelligence capabili-
ties.
"Administration plans, with date
specified, , for deploying ground-
launched cruise: missiles.behind the
North Atlantic Treaty Organization
line in Europe.
.e ."Administration plans to deter
and counter" the "aggressive activi-
ties in the Third World" by the Soviet
Union and ? its proxies. The senators
said such behavior is "inconsistent
with the underlying spirit. of the
SALT process."
? Explanations . of how SALT II
would affect "the' attainment of deep
cuts" in strategic arms on both sides
under a third treaty. The senators
added that the administration's assess-
ment of the impact of SALT II should
also go into the effect on reducing U.S.
and Soviet troops stationed on either
side of the NATO line in Europe.
After listing their reservations
about SALT II and the general trends
of the arms race, the senators con-
cluded: "Because of our, concerns,
largely covered by this letter, we are
uncommitted. as to how we will cast
our votes on the SALT iI treaty and
proposed changes."
Sen. Alan Cranston (D-Calif.), one
of ' the administration's chief head
counters.in its bid to secure approval!
of SALT, said he viewed the letter!
"as a favorable 'development. Most of I
the very -legitimate concerns raised by the senators do not relate directlyj
to the text of the SALT 11 treaty. It's
my impression that they hope that
those that do can be resolved without
killer amendments."
Besides Nunn, the letter was signed
by:
Henry L. Beilmon (R-Okla.), Lloyd,
M. Bentsen (D-Tex.),.,David L. Boren
(D-Okla.), Rudy Boschwitz ? (R-Minn.),
Lawton Chiles (A-Fla.), John Danforth
(R-Md.), Dennis -DeConcini (D-Ariz.),
Pete V. Domeniel (R-N.M.), David Du-.1
renberger (R-Minn.), J. James Exon'(D-
Neb.), S. I. Hayakawa (ft-Calif.); H.
John Heinz III (R-Pa.), Larry Press- {
ler (R-S.D.). Harrison Schmitt (R-N.M:). 1
and other advances in Soviet weap-
onry occurred at the same time one
arras control treaty was in force and
its successor was in negotiation. ".The
hopes for significant arms control did
influence our force planning" and
thus may have delayed counters to
the "mounting Soviet% threat," they
wrote.
-In light-of those developments and
their impact on the future arms bal.,
ante, the senators said that they,
needed presidential assurances and
explanations in these areas:
? Plans for narrowing the "window,
of : vulnerability" in the early 1980s,
when the Soviets will be 'able: to
knock out a sizable portion of the U.S.
land-based nuclear offense.
? Efforts to improve enlistment of,
birth nrtality nennle for the armed.
qJohn W. Warner (R-
For Release 2005/01/12: ClA-RDP88-01315ROO
a. anard Zorinsky (D?Neb.)...