Office of the Historian

38. Memorandum From John Douglass of the National Security Council Staff to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (McFarlane)1

Washington, May 24, 1985

SUBJECT

  • Long-Range Peacekeeper Strategy

Now that the Senate floor debate is behind us, I felt it might be helpful to spell out for you what I think needs to be done after the House deals with the M–X authorization in early June.

In your press briefing yesterday you noted the President’s intention to examine (in the course of the next year) the full range of issues that affect the deployment level and basing concepts for M–X.

As we take a new look at these issues, I’d like to suggest to you that we first do so on a very close-hold basis. I envision an NSSD on this subject to be released about mid-June, asking DOD to report to the President on a close-hold, classified basis, about mid-August, what they believe our options to be. I would also ask them for a recommendation as to how we should deal with the issue on a public basis, i.e., Report to Congress, another Scowcroft review, and so forth. I also believe we should encourage DOD to rethink the issue from stem to [Page 112] stern in making their private assessment to us. We should let them tell us how many missiles we need and what can be done to base increments beyond the first 50.

An event bearing on this is the January 1986 Defense Science Board’s report on M–X basing, which has been mandated by the SASC. This could be the report we need to make our plans public.

I also believe we should review the small missile as a part of this process. I can’t envision a report on future basing of M–X that doesn’t come to grips with our latest analysis on the basing issues and costs we see ahead for the small ICBM.

Finally, it’s important to remember that if we do recommend a new basing mode, we need to [get] started on RDT&E as soon as possible. In my view, the DOD Report to the President should also cover ways to get started on new basing research next year, if appropriate.2

Bob Linhard, Ron Sable, and Don Fortier concur.

Recommendation

That I prepare an NSDD on future M–X options for release to DOD in mid-June.3

  1. Source: Reagan Library, W Files, Special Programs (1985) [Folder 3]. Secret. Sent for action.↩
  2. Fortier wrote below his name: “believe review should indeed be far-reaching!”↩
  3. McFarlane approved the recommendation.↩