'LEAK' MAY DELAY OFFICIAL AIRING OF ANTIMISSILE SYSTEM START

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP70B00338R000300100109-4
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 19, 2016
• Document Release Date: January 12, 2006
• Sequence Number: 109
• Content Type: NSPR

Approved For Release 2006/01/30 : CIA-RDP70B00338R000300100109-4
VV", JJJJ
r' i' ? ?
ea ay ~ a ~csa it
y ~n o . Antimissile g System: Mart
in
guarding
the Pentagon to begin construe- cities and missile sites from an
tion of a defense system to "accidental" Russian attack.
guard against a small-scale As currently conceived, the
missile attack. "thin ABM" system would be
News of the decision was largely ineffective against an
relayed to key congressional all-out Soviet missile attack.
leaders on Friday, and the Thus, it is expected that
initial administration plan was supporters of the decision to
for Secretary of Defense Robert deploy the "thin ABM" system
S. McNamara to make the will next push for construction
public announcement in a of a nation-wide defense to
speech in San Francisco,tomor- guard also against a Soviet
row afternoon. onslaught.
Because word of the decision - ,,, ? ,
leaked to the press, the an-
nouncement may come at some
other time, some sources said.
Ineffective In All-Out Attack
The defense, known in mili-
tary jargon as a "thin anti-
ballistic missile (ABM) sys-
tem," is designed to ward off an
attack in the 1970s from Red
i
The "thin system" is estimat-
ed to cost about $5 billion, and
take five years to build. Money
for the first year's work-$700
million-already is in the cur-
rent Defense Department budg-
et. Cost for a "big system" is
estimated to run as high as $70
billion.
The Pentagon has been ready
for months to . start work on
deploying the system, but was
awaiting a final decision from
President Johnson.
The decision drew praise from
two influential senators and
criticism from another.
Sen. Richard B. Russell, D-
Ga., chairman of the Senate
Armed Services Committee,
said "It's been the best news the
American people have had for
years."
Russell commented that a
"thin" system "isn't adequate
protection, but it will give us a
better idea of the cost of a big
one."
He said he doubts a major
system would cost "anything
like the $40 billion" talked
about.
Chairman John C. Stennis, D-
Miss., of the Senate Military
Preparedness Subcommittee
also praised the decision,
Noting that the system would
be aimed at defending against a
Communist Chinese attack,
Stennis said: "I think China has
made very rapid strides in
nuclear weapons and that it
won't be very long before she's
capable to deliver them."
But Sen. J. William Fulbright,
D-Ark., said that the administra-
tion plan could produce "very
dangerous counter measures by
the Soviet Union."
"Very Debatable"
"I am very dubious of the
plan," the chairman of the
Senate Foreign Relations Com-
mittee told United Press Inter-
national. He proposed congres-
sional hearings on the move.
"As a political decision, I
think it is very regrettable,"
Fulbright said. "Even though
the system is reported to be
mainly a, defense against a
potential Chinese attack, the
U.S. decision could still cause
the Soviet Union to further step
up the arms race."
Freeze Efforts Have Failed
Johnson had sought to avoid
deployment by getting the
Russians to agree to a mutual
freeze, not only on an ABM
system but on offensive missiles
as . well. But efforts- to engage
Moscow in negotiations have so
far failed.
Just two weeks ago, with a
decision to deploy apparently
imminent, Johnson sent 4
message to U.S. Ambassador
Llewellyn E. Thompson in
Moscow instructing him to tell
Soviet officials that unless talks
began soon, deployment would
begin on the "thin system."
The Russians have deployed
an. ARM defense around Mos?
cow, and have started work on a
network of sites which may be a
large scale ABM system, or, as
some intelligence officers be-
lieve, simply an anti-aircraft
defense.
There has been strong pres-
sure from such senators as
Henry M. Jackson, D-Wash.,
chairman of the subcommittee
an military application of atom-
ic energy, to begin work on A-
BM deployment. Billions of
dollars-have been spent on the
research and development of the
current Nike-X system-the
descendant of the old Nike
system. Jackson's committee
will begin hearing son ABMs
in a few weeks.
2 Types of Missiles
As designed now, the Nike-X
consists of two types of missiles
one, the Spartan, would go
hundreds of miles out to meet
incoming intercontinental
missiles. The other, the Sprint,
-would go straight up to hit the
missiles that bad gone through.
No ABM system is perfect,
and McNamara has estimated
that even with a system, as
many as 50 million people could
perish from a Chinese attack in
the 1970s.
The Chinese, who first tested a
nuclear device in 1964, have
started work. on a missile sys?
tem.
The administration has been
reluctant to deploy an ABM
system for fear that it would
touch off a new round in the
arms race. Secretary of State
Dean Rusk has argued that if
both Russia and America have
ABMs this will lead to new
pressures to develop better
offensive weapons, and so on,
Approved For Release 2006/01/30 : CIA-RDP70B00338R000300100109-4