Office of the Historian

79. Memorandum of Conversation1

Washington, February 22, 1990, 2:09–2:16 p.m.

SUBJECT

  • Meeting with Senators Nunn and Warner

The President: We only have about five minutes because I must leave at 2:15 p.m.2 Why don’t you start and we will reschedule for more time.

Senator Nunn: We approved two missiles last year. The House killed both. This year this could happen in the Senate. I argued for both on the basis of trading MX for SS–24s. I think we should move to an ICBM MIRV ban. A useful first step would be to ban mobiles. If we don’t have an arms control concept, we could lose both missiles. I would have trouble supporting the program unless there was an arms control concept. Secretary Cheney objects on the basis that the Soviets would then have two missiles deployed and we wouldn’t have small ICBMs until 1997. That’s no worse than it has been for a couple of years and it was DOD’s choice to delay the small missile. I think with an arms control concept we could keep both systems alive in the Senate and Aspin thinks he could in the House.

The President: How about the B–2?

Senator Warner: Maybe we could bring it along. It is key to arms control.

Senator Nunn: Coattails aren’t that long.

Senator Warner: Nor for SDI.

Senator Nunn: All the START modernization systems are attractive targets. I think we can get by with some numbers on B–2s.

Senator Warner: We could reconsider B–2s next year even if we lost. The missile is this year’s issue.

The President: Why does Midgetman cost so much?

Senator Warner: Mobility.

Senator Nunn: In the short term (4 years), which is not the right way to look at it, Midgetman costs $2 billion and Rail Garrison $6 billion. If we got a total ICBM deMIRVing deal, Midgetman could eventually go in the silos. I do not sense we have to spend $20 billion over the next decade. I would keep the mobility aspects in R&D.

[Page 506]

The President: How about SDI?

Senator Nunn: That needs to be a separate meeting.

The President: Could we wait until next year on the missile issue?

Senator Nunn: No. Congress wouldn’t spend $4.5 billion on Rail Garrison and then kill it for arms control. It has to be in START I.

Senator Warner: I agree.

  1. Source: Department of State, Economic and Agricultural Affairs, Lot 96D484, Robert B. Zoellick, Under Secretary for Economic and Agricultural Affairs, Gates Group NODIS. Secret. The meeting took place in the Oval Office.↩
  2. According to the President’s Daily Diary, Bush departed the White House at 2:15 p.m. to attend the Centennial Celebration of the Johns Hopkins University.↩