261. Editorial Note
On June 28, 1988, Senator Malcolm Wallop [R–Wyoming] sent President Ronald Reagan a letter co-signed by nineteen congressional colleagues urging him to declare that the Krasnoyarsk radar represented a material breach of the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty. The letter is printed as Tab 1, Document 265. That same day, the Senior Arms Control Group held a meeting on the ABM Treaty Review in the Cordell Hull Conference Room 208 of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. No minutes were found. According to handwritten notes of the meeting drafted by National Security Council Senior Director for Arms Control Robert Linhard, participants disagreed over whether to declare a material breach. (Reagan Library, Robert Linhard Files, Arms Control Chronological File, SACG (Senior Arms Control Group) Meeting—06/28/1988)
One June 29, Vice President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs Donald Gregg and the Vice President’s Deputy Assistant for National Security Affairs Samuel Watson sent Vice President George H.W. Bush a memorandum: “The President will soon make decisions [Page 934] to hold the required five-year review of the ABM Treaty. He will also be asked to decide how we will characterize Soviet violations. Most arms control advisors at a Senior Arms Control Group (SACG) meeting agreed to a mid-July meeting. Some thought the ABM Treaty review should be postponed until September. They feel a fight in the Platform Committee and later on the floor of the Republican Convention will develop unless we elevate the seriousness of our charges of violations. We believe a mid-July Treaty review is more appropriate—better to do it sooner rather than in the middle of the campaign. The public will not focus on lawyerly debates of violations versus ‘material breach.’ Instead, they could focus on what some will say is an attempt to void the ABM Treaty and an attempt to proceed on SDI without treaty restraint. The other Presidential decision is whether, because of the Krasnoyarsk radar, to continue to charge the Soviets with a violation or elevate it to a ‘material breach.’ General Powell appears inclined to recommend to the President that we proceed with a mid-July review and continue to press the Soviets to correct the violation, not declaring it a material breach.” (George H.W. Bush Library, Bush Vice Presidential Records, Office of National Security Affairs, Sam Watson File, Country Files, OA/ID 19865–019, Arms Control—ABM [Anti-Ballistic Missile] Treaty)
On July 1, Linhard composed a memorandum for the record: “The NSPG that had been considered for 5 July on SDI was cancelled after two sessions with SECDEF on 30 June. At these meetings (7AM breakfast and 3PM meeting), SECDEF decided to ‘reflect’ on whether to issue SDI program restructuring guidance or wait till studies of options are completed in September. Status of play: awaiting SECDEF’s view. Will have NSPG if SECDEF feels he wishes to go forward with restructuring.” (Ibid.)
On June 29, Linhard and National Security Council Deputy Director for Arms Control William Tobey drafted a memorandum for President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs Colin Powell to send to President Reagan in advance of a proposed National Security Planning Group meeting at which Secretary of Defense Frank Carlucci might submit recommendations for restructuring the Strategic Defense Initiative. (Reagan Library, Robert Linhard Files, Arms Control Chronological File, SDI NSPG, 07/05/88)