A SURVIVAL MATTER

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP70B00338R000300100104-9
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 19, 2016
• Document Release Date: January 12, 2006
• Sequence Number: 104
• Publication Date: September 18, 1967
• Content Type: NSPR

S, pa, if CA* (..7 Approved For Release 2006/01/30 : CIA-RDP70B00338R000300100104-9
A Survival?- otter
Despite Senator Fulbright's char-
acteristic misgivings, there is ample
justification for President Johnson's
reported decision to go ahead with the
building and deployment of a so-called
thin or limited antiballistic missile
system.
In terms of economic cost and de-
fensive effectiveness, there is a large
body of argument against the value of
such a system. But our country cannot
afford to gamble on the matter; It can-
not afford to rely solely on the deter-
rent force of its considerably superior
power, as of today, in the field of In-
tercontinental ballistic missiles.
The Red Chinese now are building
up a nuclear arsenal of sorts, and in
the early 1970s-especially if the Red
Guard mentality still obtains-they
may have enough missiles and madness
to try to heap atomic devastation on
the continental United Staj That is
one of the factors that p. i w n
Chairman Russell of the Senate Armed
Services Committee and many other
knowledgeable Americans have been
quick to hail the move to create a
national ABM line whose initial "thin-
ness" could be fattened rather quickly,
if necessary.
This move, of course, might have
been averted if the Russians had shown
any interest in our government's efforts
to put a freeze on ABM development.
The Kremlin, however, has turned a
deaf ear to American proposals for such
a freeze. It has proceeded, instead, not
merely to narrow the gap between its
ICBM arsenal and ours (including mis-
siles with multiple warheads) but per-
haps also to establish an expanding
system of defense against such missiles.
In the circumstances, it seems a
simple act of sanity-if anything may
le regarded as sane in an arms race
-for America not to let itself be left
bend in l ,is deadly field.
Approved For Release 2006/01/30 : CIA-RDP70B00338R000300100104-9