STAFF CHIEF SEES EARLY ABM MOVE

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP70B00338R000300090004-2
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 19, 2016
• Document Release Date: January 9, 2006
• Sequence Number: 4
• Publication Date: May 21, 1967
• Content Type: NSPR

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Approved For Release 2006/01/30 : CIA-RDP70B00338R000300090004-2
Staff Chief
Sets Early
ARM Move
By John Maffre
Washington Post Staff Writer
Gen. Earle G. Wheeler said
yesterday the U.S. should de-
cide "within the next few
months" to build an antibal-
listic missile defense if Russiai
fails to agree to dampen the
arms race.
The chairman of the Joint
Chiefs of Staff said an ABM,
system, which might cost $20i
billion for the defense of 50)
cities, could not be delayed in-
definitely if prospects for
agreement on missile limi-
tation were talked to death.
"In all fairness, I must sayl
they are not being talked to
death now," he said in an in-t
terview after taping ABC's'
"Issues and Answers" (WMAL)
for viewing today. "This would
he a major decision for the
Kremlin, and I'm sure they're
giving it exhasutive study."
Last week his boss, Defense
Secretary Robert S. McNama-
ra, who favors reliance on
greater long-range offensive
missile strength against his
chiefs' preference for ABM,
acknowledged that the U.S.-
Soviet talks to freeze ABM
plans were making "very slow
progress."
Middle East Outlook
He predicted that today's
high tension in the Middle
East: would grow worse in
1968, when the British with-
draw their garrison from the
South Arabian Federation.
without promising to guaran-
tee the security of the newly
independent state.
To a suggestion that the
Federation might request the
same guarantee of security
from the U.S. that Saudi
Arabia received in 1962, the
General replied:
"We'd not welcome that-
we have enough responsibili-
ties elsewhere."
Wheeler, who soon will
make his second visit of 1967
to South Vietnam, said Fri
day's action by U.S. Marines
in the demilitarized zone was
well below the threshold of
provoking Communist Chinese
intervention in the war.
"They'd intervene overtly
only if we presented some
direct threat to them, to their
territory or their independ-
ence," he said. "I know a lot
of people don't agree with
that, and some say so pretty
strongly. That doesn't include
anyone of the Joint Chiefs."
Wouldn't Cross River
American troops would not
cross the Ben Hai River into
the North Vietnamese side of
the DMZ, he said. A strip
roughly three miles wide on
each side of the river was des-
ignated by the Geneva pow-
ers in 1954 as a neutral zone.
Asked about the hot-pursuit
rule that requires a unit com-
mander to protect his forces
by keeping the enemy at a
safe distance, Wheeler said,
the search-and-destroy opera-
tion going on was not of the
type- that required a chase
into enemy territory.
The Communists had been
using the South Vietnamese
side of the DMZ to mount
heavy attacks on U.S. Posi-
tions, he said, and they were
being dealt with there.
Approved For Release 2006/01/30 : CIA-RDP70B00338R000300090004-2