Office of the Historian

110. Minutes of a Verification Panel Meeting1

Washington, October 27, 1970, 10:30 a.m.–12:10 p.m.

SUBJECT

  • SALT

PARTICIPATION

  • Chairman—Henry A. Kissinger
  • State
    • John N. Irwin
    • Ronald I. Spiers
    • Raymond Garthoff
    • Seymour Weiss
  • Defense
    • David Packard
    • Paul Nitze
  • JCS
    • Lt. Gen. Royal Allison
  • Justice
    • John N. Mitchell
  • ACDA
    • Gerard Smith
    • Spurgeon Keeny
    • Philip Farley
  • CIA
    • Richard Helms
    • Carl Duckett
  • NSC Staff
    • Col. Jack N. Merritt
    • K. Wayne Smith
    • James Woolsey
    • William Hyland
    • Helmut Sonnenfeldt
    • Jeanne W. Davis
[Page 354]

SUMMARY OF DECISIONS

It was agreed:

1.
that CIA would prepare a map showing precisely what would be covered in an NCA defense and the relative protection of the Moscow and Washington systems;
2.
to get an analysis of the relative importance of the 100 vs 200 kilometer zones;
3.
with regard to a US equivalent to the Hen House radar system, to indicate only number of faces and approximate location;
4.
that omission of a ban on the production of a mobile ABM system was an error, but that we should not raise it until the Soviets have responded to our proposal;
5.
to include prohibitions on increases in depth, diameter, silo liners and canisters in the agreement itself and, in addition, to prepare and inform the Soviets of a list of indicators of possible violations;
6.
to ask the Working Group to work on a definition of the components of a mobile ABM system;
7.
that the delegation might discuss the purely informational aspects of the two sides assuring each other on accidental launches or unidentified objects, but that they should not discuss whether the two sides should undertake to cooperate against an accomplished or imminent attack.
8.
that ACDA would prepare a formula for institutionalizing diplomatic exchanges if either side believes a provocative attack is imminent;
9.
to keep open the possibility of a separate or independent agreement on accidental launchings;
10.
that the back-stopping group would consider further the question of non-interference with national means of detection;
11.
to undertake further study of the questions of forward basing and transfers.

[Omitted here are the minutes of the meeting.]

  1. Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, NSC Institutional Files (H-Files), Box H–107, Verification Panel Minutes Originals 1969–3/8/72. Top Secret. The meeting was held in the White House Situation Room.↩