NIKE-X DECISION CUTS 2 WAYS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP70B00338R000300090118-6
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 19, 2016
• Document Release Date: January 9, 2006
• Sequence Number: 118
• Publication Date: January 11, 1967
• Content Type: NSPR

Approved For Release 2006/01/30 : CIA-RDP70B00338R000300090118-6
starfs and stops., _ Then the possible, in both co t onaI
sites ware detected around a and? nuclear weapon and de-
number of czties. Ienses. Any addict race
As the irfttallations pro- would impose on our, peoples,
gressed, o r i gI n a 1 questions and on all mankind, an addi-
about the true nature of the tional waste of resouree"s with
weapons were renewed. It no gain in security to either
seemed to, some analysts in side."
the Pentagon and the State In that'last phrase-I"" the
Department that the Russians real basis for the Prdent's
were '' installing antiakcraft, decision against the" Ti e-X.
rather than anti-missile de- McNamara and many-- qf his
fenses = advisers are convinced that
Then a" a kind of'nie the Nike-X-Qr any other pro-
site wad in the Moscow posed interceptor=could not
urea..abut nowhere else. Sec save enough lives during an
retary of Defense Robert S all out Russian attack to per-
McNamara said in November mit the United States to sur-
that there was "considerable vive.
evidence" that Russia was However, the decision to
"deploying" an anti-missile keep the test program going
missile. (full testing of the Nike-X is
Yesterday ',.T q h n s o n said not scheduled to be completed
flatly that the Soviet Union until 1969) will permit the
"has begun to place near Mos- President to proceed at some
cow a limited anti-missile de later date with a limited
Nike-X Decision:Cuts 2 WQys
By `RICHARD FRYKLUND
Star staff writer
President Johnson's decision
against an American missile
defense is designed to be a
threat as well as an opportu-
nity to the Soviet Union.
Johnson's position-as out-
lined last night in his State of
the Union message to Con-
gress and elaborated on by
other officials-is this:
The U.S. government will
disregard the Russian start on
a defense Against U.S. missiles
provided 'agreements can be
reached-to dampen the arms
race. But if the Kremlin wants
to race-by continuing to in-
stall more defenses-then the
United States will be ready
to start quickly on Its own
defenses.
Von't Please Congress
Johnson's decision will not
please Congress or his prin-
cipal military advisers. Last
year Congress voted, in effect,
to go ahead with the Nike-X
anti-missile missile-an inter-
ceptor that has been under
development for a decade.
Members of the Joint Chiefs
of Staff have recommended
unanimously in the past-and
presumably will recommend
again if congressional commit-
tees ask-that the President
start now to produce the
Nike-X and continue with a
$25 billion installation that
would be completed in 20
years.
Johnson does plan to offer
a compromise to the advo-
cates of Nike-X-a comprom-
se that carries an Implied
threat to the Soviet Union.
He, will ask Congress for
money to continue to improve
the prototype, weapon and to
buy test models. He will be
able to say that the real de- I
cision is to:.postpone Nike X, I
not to abandon it.
If an arms control agree-
ment wit ussia is, not reach-
ed, he review~. his deci-
sion.
The President's position is
made more difficult by the
Russian decision to go ahead
with at least a small installa-
tion. There is a sharp dis-
agreement among intelligence
analysis over the expense, but
it is a fact that Russia has
something, while the United
States has nothing.
As early as 1963 some In-
telligence officers concluded
from reconnaissance satellite
pictures that the Soviet Union
was installing an ICBM inter-
ceptor around Leningrad. Soon
similar sites were under con-
struction around Moscow.
There apparently were two
fense." Other `officials said
that those are the only sites
that are known today to be
missile interceptors.
The Pre$ent did ,not say
that the American people can
have the same thing.
He did.: promise an offense
that woudlcpenetrate any So-
viet defense: "My first re-
sponsibility to our people is to
assure that no nation can ever
find it rational to launch a
nuclear attack or to use Its
nuclear power as a credible
thtteat against us or our al-
lies."
From there he went to his
plea for arms control and dis-
armament agreements with
Russia.
"We have the solemn duty
THE WASHINGTON STAR
11 January 1967
File: Liaison - ABM
Nuke-X program designed to
protect against lesser threats.
To Improve ICBMs
The President also con-
firmed last night that the So-
viet Union ''is improving its
missile offense.
The United States. is about
to compleIr its plant 0d force
of about 1,000 ICBMs. The
quality of the force will be
improved - particularly the`
ability of one missile to de-
stroy more than one enemy
target-but the number will
not be increased.
The effect of the decision
revealed last night is to show
that the President finally is
convinced that it is Impossible
to fight and survive an all-
out nuclear war and that
to slow down the m race .American hopes must be
between us, if tow, a]1 placed on deterrents to war.
Approved For Release 2006/01/30 : CIA-RDP70B00338R000300090118-6