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This file contains mutual and Balanced Force Reductions (MBFR)
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1552901
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January 6, 1975 - Ford, ACDA Director Fred Ikle
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1552901
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document
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January 6, 1975 - Ford, ACDA Director Fred Ikle
description
This file contains mutual and Balanced Force Reductions (MBFR)
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Memoranda of Conversations (Nixon and Ford Administrations)
Ford Administration Memoranda of Conversations
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France
Arms control
Nuclear nonproliferation
Nuclear testing
Soldiers
Treaties
United States-Soviet relations
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6
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1975-01-06
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1975
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6
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1975-01-06
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1
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1975
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File scanned from the National Security Adviser's Memoranda of Conversation Collection at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library
MEMORANDUM
THE WHITE HOUSE
SECRET
WASHINGTON
MEMORANDUM OF CONVERSATION
PARTICIPANTS:
President Gerald Ford
Dr. Fred C. Ikle, Director, U.S. Arms Control
and Disarmament Agency
Lt. General Brent Scowcroft, Deputy Assistant
to the President for National Security Affairs
DATE AND TIME:
Monday, January 6, 1975
12:15 p.m.
PLACE:
The Oval Office
The White House
President: Happy New Year.
Ikle: I have a bit of good news. The Senate has ratified the Geneva
Protocol. A signing ceremony would show that the Legislature and
Executive are now cooperating.
Another issue: The danger of nuclear proliferation. The Congress is
very worried. Brazil, Argentina, Pakistan, Libya all may be looking
around. South Korea also. A number of efforts are under way. We are
GUIDELINES State Pariew 3/10/04
trying to deal with the export of nuclear materials. Action is slow because
the French are obnoxious.
What this comes down to is a number of hard decisions which may come
at a price. For example, the Italians are holding back from signing the
NARA, DATE 5/10/04
NPT. Some never will sign. But if it begins to unravel we could be
accused of not doing enough.
President: How many potentials have not signed?
DECLASSIFIED
Ikle: Most of them. But if we could show motion with Italy, it might keep
a sense of momentum.
E.O.
&
President: What nuclear powers haven't signed?
GERALD
LIBRARY
SECRET
CLASSIFIED BY: HENRY A. KISSINGER
TOP SECRET XGDS (3)
SECRET
2.
Ikle: France and the PRC. But the PRC has not exported material. I bring
this up to show that things have to be done. We are preparing a package
for you of things which have to be done.
President: I think the success of getting the Senate to move was excellent
and I congratulate you. I haven't focused on a signing ceremony.
Giscard seemed forthcoming on this at Martinique.
Scowcroft: Their team is coming next week. We don't know what they're
coming with.
Ikle: But maybe if they won't join a conference we can work with them
bilaterally. But France is preparing to export reprocessing plants, and
there is no way to prevent diversion of materials from these.
President: Do they have the technical people -- Israel, Pakistan, etc. ?
Ikle: They are developing it, and the expertise is transferable from other
(such as reactor) areas.
President: What do we do now?
Ikle: We must develop proper safeguards, such as we have in the export
of reactors to Israel and Egypt.
President: What do they think of Vladivostok?
Ikle: They think the dropping of FBS was real progress. Some of them want
the levels brought down and additional limitations added. Most of them feel
this is a turning point. It will be important as we flesh out the treaty to deal
with verification. We can't be trapped into promising absolute verification,
but within limits. If we promise further negotiations, that will be important
in getting the academics on board.
President: But first we must get this one signed. I think the opposition is
dying, isn't it?
Ikle: Several of them want to know how much we will save.
President: If the sense-of-the-Senate resolution about renegotiating goes
through, I will tell the Senators they should add a clause promising the
five to ten billion dollars that will be necessary if they destroy the agree-
ment by forcing a renegotiation.
FORD
?
SECRET
GERALD
SEGRET
3.
Ikle: In the last analysis, few of them will want to destroy the agreement.
Do you have time for a minute on MBFR?
President: Yes.
Ikle: The talks are somewhat stalemated. There are three key elements:
One, the nuclear package. It shouldn't follow too closely on Vladivostok.
But the Nunn Amendment requires the Secretary of Defense to report on
reductions in overseas nuclear deployment. Two, the Soviet pressure for
European reductions. Three, the connection with CSCE. It would look
bad if there were no progress in MBFR. While there is no formal coupling,
there is an informal political coupling. We don't care about CSCE, but we
do care about MBFR. It would be embarrassing if one moves without the
other.
President: Is MBFR stalemated?
Ikle: We do have tentative agreement on adding air manpower. We may
be able to combine stages one and two into one, to help the USSR. In the
last analysis, if there is no agreement, we should have at least made a
proposal that is convincing to the Congress.
President: I think the new House will be worse than the last. It would be
bad to be forced to give something without getting anything in return. With
the new Congress reconvening, we have to have a story of pushing hard.
Any change of attitude on the part of the Europeans?
Ikle: The Germans are not pushing for reductions, but as you know, the
Brits are. We have to be careful a landslide doesn't start, because
FORD
?
Congress wants American, not European reductions.
President: How about the Threshold Test Ban?
GERALD
Ikle: The talks start in February. The big issue is PNE's above the
threshold. It has implications for the NPT. As a personal judgment, if
we can't get PNE's restricted to below the threshold, we may not want to
sign the TTB and submit it to Congress. The Soviets probably wouldn't
want it submitted if it would be defeated.
President: I appreciate your bringing me up to date. I hope we can give '
Resor some forthcoming recommendations. It would be a disaster to have
to give things away without getting anything in return.
Thanks for coming in. Keep me posted through Henry or Brent and
I'll see you at the next NSC meeting.
SECRET
2
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DECLARBIFIED
E.O. 12958, SEC. 3.5
NSC MEMO. 11/01/06, STATE DEPT. GUIDELINES State Review3/10/04
BY
NARA, DATE 5/10/04
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