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  4. Document 97

97. Memorandum by the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger)1

Washington, February 26, 1970.

MEMORANDUM FOR

  • The Under Secretary of State
  • The Deputy Secretary of Defense
  • The Director of Central Intelligence
  • The Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff
  • The Chairman, Council of Economic Advisers
  • The Director, Bureau of the Budget

SUBJECT

  • Defense Program Review Committee Working Group Procedures

I have designated Dr. Laurence E. Lynn as my representative to, and chairman of, the Working Group.

[Page 217]

These procedures will govern the functions of the Working Group:

  • —The DPRC, normally after receiving a proposal or presentation from the Defense Department will identify issues requiring further consideration and will refer them to the Working Group.
  • —The Working Group will assign the agency most concerned, usually the Department of Defense, or, if appropriate, an interagency team, the task of preparing an initial paper. For example, the Defense Department Representative would normally prepare papers on issues involving force levels or weapons systems, analyzing the issue and setting forth the DOD position, or the alternatives among which it recommends that choice be made.
  • —The Working Group will then review the paper for completeness, adequate presentation of differing views, and inclusion of an adequate range of alternatives.
  • —After necessary revisions, the paper will be forwarded to the DPRC for discussion.2

Henry A. Kissinger
  1. Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Agency Files, Box 235, DPRC & DEF Budget—1970—Vol. I. Secret.↩
  2. The first meeting of the DPRC Working Group took place on March 4. Lynn’s March 3 briefing memorandum for DPRC members is at the National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, NSC Institutional Files (H-Files), Box H–101, Defense Program Review Committee Meetings, DPRC Working Group Meetings. A transcript of a telephone conversation between Kissinger and Laird on March 12, 1970, at 10:25 a.m. begins as follows:
    “K: The DPRC went very well. I want to make one thing clear to you Mel. I am not going to get involved in the individual weapons systems. I am not going to get into your business on this.
    “L: I understand. I just wanted to make sure there was no misunderstanding.
    “K: And the way Dave [Packard] handled it was just what we had in mind.
    “L: Good.” (National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, Henry A. Kissinger Telephone Transcripts (Telcon), Box 1, Chronological File.)    ↩