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  3. Foreign Relations of the United States, 1969–1976, Volume XXXIII, SALT II, 1972–1980
  4. Document 147

147. Presidential Review Memorandum/NSC 21

Washington, January 24, 1977.

TO

  • The Vice President
  • The Secretary of State
  • The Secretary of Defense

SUBJECT

  • SALT

The President has directed that the Special Coordination Committee undertake a review of the SALT negotiations.

The initial stage of the review should include:

1. An analysis of the major SALT issues, including: (1) concise summaries of the individual issues and (2) more detailed analytical background papers on these issues if such are not currently available. The initial effort in this regard should focus on the following issues: cruise missiles, Backfire, mobile ICBM’s, MIRV verification, reductions, telemetry encryption, non-circumvention/non-transfer, and ICBM vulnerability.

2. A description of the major strategic policy issues which bear on the SALT negotiations.

3. The impact of Defense programs and pending budget decisions on SALT.

This initial review should be completed by January 28.

In the next stage of the review, alternative general approaches which the U.S. could propose at this stage of the negotiations, including alternatives for long-range approaches, will be identified and analyzed.

Zbigniew Brzezinski
  1. Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Brzezinski Material, Agency File, Box 3, Defense Department, 1–2/77. Top Secret. Also sent to the Director of the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Director of Central Intelligence. This copy was sent under a covering memorandum from Brzezinski to Brown indicating that he wanted to schedule an SCC meeting for February 3 to discuss SALT II. (Ibid.)↩