Office of the Historian

73. Memorandum From William Wright and Robert Linhard of the National Security Council Staff to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (McFarlane)1

Washington, October 10, 1985

SUBJECT

  • NSPG Meeting, Friday, October 11, 11:00–12:00, ABM Treaty Interpretation Issues

This evening, we provided a draft package of additional background material that you could either discuss with the President or provide to him for his review prior to the meeting tomorrow. Based on our discussions the following package is submitted for your use:

  • Tab I — Memorandum for the President;2
  • A — NSC staff summary issue paper;3
  • B — Legal opinions of State, OSD and ACDA;4
  • C — Draft NSDD supporting our interpretation of the ABM treaty;5
  • Tab II — Proposed talking points for your use at the meeting;6 and
  • Tab III — Proposed talking points for the President’s use.7

With respect to this material, we would recommend the following:

—
At a minimum, you forward the memorandum at Tab I with the NSC staff developed issue paper (Tab A) and the various agency legal briefs (Tab B) to the President for his review; the briefs have been highlighted.
—
In accordance with your instructions this evening, we have prepared a draft NSDD which could be used to record the decision taken at the NSPG. This is at Tab C. Since this document is critical to moving quickly to cut off both speculation and end runs, we recommend that it be forwarded with the President’s package in the morning to familiarize him with the substance, but that he not sign it until after the NSPG.
—
We feel that it would also be useful to provide the President with your talking points (Tab II) for his study. They lay out the legal basis for a broader interpretation of the Treaty in more detail and it may be useful for the President to have this in advance. They also outline your approach to gathering consensus at the meeting and handling the tasking of steps necessary in implementing a decision if one is reached at the NSPG itself.
—
Finally, we have also drafted some proposed talking points for the President’s use at the meeting (Tab III). These track closely with the NSDD decision and are consistent with your guidance. If you agree with the points, we would recommend that you provide them to the President when you have your final preparatory meeting with him on this meeting.

Recommendation

That you sign the Memorandum to the President at Tab I which forwards Tabs A, B and C, along with Tab II and Tab III if you see fit, to the President for his review as early as possible on Friday.8

  1. Source: National Security Council, National Security Council Institutional Files, Box SR–110, NSPG 120 11 Oct 1985. Secret; Sensitive. Sent for action. A stamped notation at the top of the memorandum reads: “Signed.”↩
  2. Printed as Document 74.↩
  3. Printed as Tab A (1), Document 74.↩
  4. See footnote 2, Document 74.↩
  5. See footnote 3, Document 74.↩
  6. Printed as Tab II, Document 74.↩
  7. Printed as Tab III, Document 74.↩
  8. McFarlane approved the recommendation.↩