54. Memorandum From the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger) to President Nixon 1
SUBJECT
- Report on Safeguard II
General Haig received a call this morning from Mr. Jordan, Senator Baker’s2 Administrative Assistant, who stated that there is a general impression among the Senators who had been supporting the Safeguard Program that Gerry Smith is strongly opposed to ABM in any form. He stated that this impression was very worrisome to those members of the Senate who had been in the forefront on support for the Safeguard Program.
With your approval, I will instruct Gerry Smith to take immediate steps to come out on record in favor of Safeguard II in unequivocal fashion and in a forum which will insure that the impression described by Mr. Jordan is promptly eliminated.3
- Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 841, ABM–MIRV, ABM System, Vol. IV, Memos and Misc., February–April 30, 1970. Confidential. Sent for action.↩
- Senator Howard Baker (R–TN).↩
- Nixon underlined most of this sentence, initialed the approval option, and wrote at the bottom of the page, “Do it—or resign.” On February 28, in a transmittal note, Haig asked Kissinger when he wished to deliver the message to Smith. A notation at the bottom reads, “HAK would like to see him for 5 minutes after Verification Panel meeting tomorrow, Thursday, 3/12.” No record of whether Kissinger and Smith spoke after the meeting has been found.↩