165. Memorandum From Linton Brooks and Robert Linhard of the National Security Council Staff to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Poindexter)1
SUBJECT
- 131st Bomber Game Plan
Attached at Tab I2 is a memorandum to the President seeking his approval, based on yesterday’s NSPG,3 to proceed with the deployment of the 131st bomber and providing a game plan for Congressional and Allied notification. The package includes talking points we will use with Congress and a suggested announcement DOD might make on Friday.4
To support Dave Abshire’s desire to get the 131st bomber behind us as soon as possible, Congressional notification needs to be made today. Ron Sable is poised to begin that process as soon as we have Presidential approval. You should note, however, that the bomber will not actually return to its operations base until after several days of testing. We believe we should declare it operational now to avoid the conflict with the scheduled NATO meetings.
Recommendation
That you sign the memorandum to the President at Tab I.5
Ron Sable, Don Mahley, Steve Steiner and Will Tobey concur.6 Sven Kraemer is on travel.
- Source: National Security Council, National Security Council Institutional Files, Box SR–111, NSPG 0140, 11/25/1986. Secret. Sent for action. A copy was sent to Cockell.↩
- Printed as Document 166.↩
- See Document 164.↩
- November 28. Tabs A and B are printed as the attachments to Document 166.↩
- Keel approved the recommendation.↩
- Brooks concurred on behalf of Sable, Mahley, Steiner, and Tobey.↩