MISSILE DEFENSE IN SPACE STUDIED

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP70B00338R000300090002-4
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 19, 2016
• Document Release Date: January 9, 2006
• Sequence Number: 2
• Publication Date: March 31, 1967
• Content Type: NSPR

Approved For Release 2006/01/30 : CIA-RDP70B00338R000300090002-4
MISSILE DEFENSE
IN SPACE S1II01E1I
Expert Says New Project,
for Advanced Devices Is
Seriously Considered
By WILLIAM BEECHER
Special to The New York Times
WASHINGTON, May 30 -
Even as the Administratiol
wrestles with a decision on de
ployment of the Nike-X anti
missile system to defend th
United States, some quite dif
ferent, more advanced missil
killers are being studied.
This was disclosed by a for
mer top Pentagon researcj
scientist in Congressional testi
many just released.
Dr. Charles M. Herzfeld, whi
until last Friday was directo:
of the Pentagon's Advanced Re
search Projects Agency, tole
the House Military Appropria
i tions subcommittee that adi
vanced systems based in space
rather than on land were bci
ing given serious attention.
orbit have gone down dramati-
cally, the reliability of space
engineering has gone ups
dramatically so that the over-
all cost of the system ought
to come down significantly."
Dr. Herzfeld left his Govern-
ment post to take an executive
position with international
Telephone and Telegraph Com-
pany. He testified on the mis-
sile defense system in late
March.
Other Pentagon sources
scotched the notion that the
Bambi program was about to
be resurrected, but they said
studies were under way to look
into the feasibility of space-
based systems that might in-
tercept enemy missiles either
right after launching, during
the boost phase or later in mid-
course, while they arch through
space thousands of miles from
their targets.
Such systems, they said,
would not violate the recently
agreed on ban on weapons of
mass destruction in space since
they would be entirely defen-
sive, designed only to intercept
offensive weapons.
The sources made clear that
these studies were still prelim-
inary and that they were not
thought of as alternatives to
Nike-X. Rather, they said, such
systems might supplement
Nike-X by "winnowing out" a
lot of intercontinental ballistic
missiles before they come with-
in the range of Nike's Spartan
or Sprint missiles.
"One of the reasons the
launch-phase and mid-course
intercept concepts fell down in
the past "is that they, were
The space-based system could l
knock down a large number)
of missiles, he said, leaving the
"leakage" for Nike-X to handle.
"This would make Nike's job
much more manageable," he
noted.
The Nikc-X antimissile sys-
tem works this way:
Long-range radar searche.
out incoming missiles, which
are attacked several hundrec
miles from the target by
Spartan -missiles.
The intercontinental ballistic:
missiles that get past the
Spartans are then attackec
close to the target by high-
accelaration Sprint missiles.
Some high Defense Depart-
ment officials said chances were
increasing that the Administra-
tion would decide to deploy a
limited Nike-X system.
"The only real question in my
mind," said one official, "is not
whether but when."
Sources said talks with the
Soviet Union on possible limita-
tions of defensive and offensive
strategic systems were not
making much progress but
would continue for awhile.
The next "decision point" on
Nike-X will come during the
period September through No-
vember when top defense offi-
cials are working out the next
military budget to go to Con
gress in Janurary, they said.
In the current military bud-
get, the Administration asked
for $377-million in standby
funds to enable a start on
Nike-X deployment in the fis-
cal year ending next June 30,
it was pointed out. The Defense
Department must make a de-
ployment decision during the
next budget cycle, however, so
that it knows how much to re-
quest in the budget in the fiscal
year 1969, starting July 1, 1968.
Costs Have Gone Down
Dr. Herzfeld reminded the
committee that the Defense De4
partment had until 1964 worked
,)n the so-called Bambi system
lesigned to use satellites to log
;ate and destroy enemy mis,
wiles shortly after they had beer
.aunched, while they were mow
ng slowly and were easiest tc
ntercept.
This work was stopped three
years ago, he said, because i1
as "much too costly."
"We think the time is getting
ripe again," he said, "to look
rt the whole question because
Continued on rage 28,Column 4
Approved For Release 2006/01/30 : CIA-RDP70B00338R000300090002-4
MISSILES DEFENSE
supposed to do the whole job," I
one technical expert said. "Fort
flint niiccinn they didn't. looll-i
IN SPACE STUDIED too promising. But in combina-
tion with Nike-X, they look
------- a lot more appealing."
the costs of putting things in