JOINT CHIEFS URGE MISSILE DEFENSE PROTECTIVE SYSTEM SOUGHT FOR 50 LARGE CITIES

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP70B00338R000300090116-8
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 19, 2016
• Document Release Date: January 9, 2006
• Sequence Number: 116
• Publication Date: January 10, 1967
• Content Type: NSPR

Approved For Release 20061PN~Qz. 9I~-FDP7QB003p8R00~30?090116-8
JOINT CHIEFS URGE
MISSILE DEFENSE
Protective System Sought]
for 50 Large Cities
By WILLIAM BEECHER
Special to The New York Times
WASHINGTON, Feb. 9-- --The
Defense Department said today
that the Joint Chiefs of Staff
had recommended heavy pro-
tection against missiles for 50
of the largest cities in the
United States.
"I am authorized to say that
If you take the latest almanac,
most of the 50 most populous
cities are included on the list,"
a Pentagon spokesman said.
`But," he added, "the list is
an arbitrary one. If we actually
move into such a deployment,
there undoubtedly would be
some changes."
The number of cities on the
chiefs' list was first reported
in The Washignton Evening
Star. The Pentagon declined to
release the list, but The Star
said the cities included New
York, Chicago, Los Angeles,
Detroit, Baltimore, Washington,
St. Louis, San Francisco, Dallas,
San Diego, Seattle, Indianapolis,
Kansas City, Mo., Phoenix,
Ariz., Portland, Ore., Norfolk.
Va. and Honolulu.
McNamara Opposed
Qualified sources said the
Joint Chiefs had proposed, over!
the opposition of Defense Secre-
tary Robert S. McNamara, a
multistaged deployment of the
Nike-X antimissile system.
It would start with a "thin"
area defense around the entire
country, sufficient to intercept a
modest attack from China or
Russia, and a heavier defense
around Minuteman missile sites.
The area defense would he
provided by Spartan (formerly
called Zeus) missiles, which are
designed to intercept attacking
missiles hundreds of miles from
the United States. Sprint mis-
siles, with shorter range but
faster acceleration, would be de-
ployed close to Minuteman sites
to protect them against any
missiles that penetrated the
Spartan screen.
The area defense would cost
about $3.5-billion, and $1.5-bil-
lion more would provide the
extra Minuteman protection,
sources said.
Next the military men would
expand the system to add Sprint
missiles around 25 cities, for
roughly $5-billion more, and
then expand to another 25 cities,
for $10-billion additional.
Approved For Relea
$20-Billion Plus $2-Billion
The total price for the full
defense would run to about $20
billion, with about $2-billion
more for improved bomber de-
fense and fallout shelters.
Mr. McNamara has told'
Congress that he opposes such
a costly Nike-X deployment. Ills
argument is that even if the
Soviet Union did not react by
building large numbers of addi-
tional long-range missiles it
could still kill 20 million to 40
million Americans in an all-out
attack.
Further, if the Soviet chose
to build compensating numbers
of international ballistic mis-
siles as Mr. McNamara con-
siders likely, the fatalities could
mount to 120 million, he said.
As for the ultimate cost of a
large Nike-X system, Mr. Mc-
Namara said that once the pro-
posed list of cities to get extra
protection was published, enor-
mous political pressures would
be generated to add others. This
likely would raise the total ex-
penditure to about $40-billion,
he said.
The Administration's policy,
therefore, : is to try to persuade
the Soviet Union to agree to a
mutual freeze of antimissile de-
ployments. Failing that, the
Administration has included in
its new budget a request for
$377-million in standby funds
for a possible start on a limited
antimissile deployment, with
emphasis on protecting the Min-
uteguan force.
Building Block' Concept
Top officials say that although
a final decision has not yet been
made, should talks with the Rus-
sians collapse, the Administra-
tion is thinking in terms of a
$4-billion to $5-billion Nike-X-
system that would provide both
Minuteman protection plus a
"thin" countrywide area of de-
fense.
Other sources say that the
system is designed on a "build-
ing block" concept that makes
even the "thin" deployment sus-
ceptible to later expansion to
provide city protection as well.
The Washington Star story, by
its military reporter, Richard
Fryklund, said that at least
one city that was not among
the 50 most populous was never-
theless included on the Joint
Chief's list. That is Charleston,
S. C., the home of a Polaris
submarine base.
The story said that Omaha,
Neb., which ranked 42d in size
in the 1960 census, did not
make the Chief's list even
though it is headquarters for the
Strategic Air Command.
Pentagon sources noted, how-
ever, that Omaha would pre-
sumably be covered by the Mis-
sile defense protecting the Min-
uteman force.
The Joint Chiefs have long
advocated a large missile de-
fense on the basis of two prin-
cipal arguments.
First, they contend that the
system would improve the pros-
pects of keeping the peace by
lessening the chances that the
Soviet Union, with a growing
force of both offensive and de-
fensive missiles, might miscal-
culate its prospects of knocking
_t the United States in one
surprise blow.
Second, they argue that if
deterrence failed, a missile de-
fense would limit death and de-
struction and increase the na-
tion's chances of survival.