STATE DRAFT REPORT ON H.R. 3159, PROPOSING THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A CRISIS MANAGEMENT COUNCIL.

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP87M01152R001101350004-2
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 6
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: December 7, 2010
• Sequence Number: 4
• Publication Date: September 27, 1985
• Content Type: MEMO

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EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT
OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET
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September 27, 1985 S P E C I A
LEGISLATIVE REFERRAL MEMORANDUM
T0: Legislative Liaison Officer-
Department of Defense
National Security Council
Department of Justice
General Services Administration
l Central Intelligence Agency
Arms Control and Disarmament Agency
SUBJECT: State draft report on H. R. 3159, proposing the
establishment of a "crisis management council."
The Office of Management and Budget requests the views of your
agency on the above subject before advising on its relationship
to the program of the President, in accordance with OMB Circular
A-19.
A response to this request for your views is needed no later than
October 11, 1985 - (Rep. Bennett has asked for an expedited response)
Questions should be referred toTraceyLawler/SueThau X395-7300).
the legislative analyst in this office.
RONALD K. PETERSON FOR
Assistant Director for
Legislative Reference
Enclosures
CC: Jim Barie
B. Howard
J. Cooney
SPECIAL
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United States Department of State
Washingwn, D.C. 20520
Dear Mr. Chairman:
I am pleased to respond on behalf of the
Administration to your request for views on H.R. 3159,
which proposes the establishment of a 'crisis management
council' within the Department of State for the purposes
of (1) studying causes of international unrest, and
(2) making recommendations to the Presisent and the
Congress regarding crisis prevention and crisis management.
The Administration appreciates Congressman Bennett's
interest in ensuring that the Executive Branch pay close
attention to the interrelated tasks of analyzing causes of
international unrest, providing warning of possible
crisis, crisis prevention and, if necessary, crisis
management and resolution. We also appreciate the need
for close consultation between the Executive Branch and
Congress in matters involving the Nation's security.
We believe, however, that the primary functions and
responsibilities of the proposed "crisis management
council' are addressed by existing bodies and procedures
within the Executive Branch. In addition, this
Administration has undertaken or supported initiatives
that would serve many of the same objectives of the
proposed council -- the first and foremost being to reduce
further the risk of war between the U.S. and the Soviet
Union. The proposed council, to the extent that it would
duplicate existing bodies and procedures, would not be a
cost-effective use of taxpayers' dollars. More
importantly, if the council were to assume an active role
in crisis management and resolution -- as the bill implies
-- we believe this could seriously complicate existing
mechanisms at the very time when a rapid and
well-coordinated response by the United States Government
would be most critical.
The Honorable
Dante B. Fascell
Chairman,
Committee on Foreign Affairs,
House of Representatives.
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Our specific comments on H.R. 3159 follow:
-- .The proposed council function of 'studying
political, economic, and military happenings and
anticipated happenings which may lead to
international crisis or unrest' already is served
by various offices within the Department of State.
,.
The Department's Bureau of Intelligence and
Research (INR), working in coordination with
other agencies of the Intelligence Community,
helps to provide policymakers with in-depth
analysis of international developments as well as
warning of possible crisis. INR also
participates in studies of crisis management
techniques that may be useful for avoiding and,
if necessary, managing and resolving an actual
crisis. The Secretary of State, in addition, can
call upon the regional bureaus and the Policy
Planning Staff (whose membership includes
academicians with expertise in international
relations) for long-term studies and policy
options that may be recommended to the President.
-- The crisis prevention, management, and resolution
functions ascribed to the proposed council
already are performed by several agencies working
closely together. These include the White House
and National Security Council, the operations
centers of the Department of State and Central
Intelligence Agency, and the National Military
Command Center. In this context, the Reagan
Administration is working to improve bilateral
communications between the U.S. and U.S.S.R. that
could prove vital in avoiding or resolving a
serious incident or conflict. For example, as a
result of an Administration initiative, the U.S.
and U.S.S.R. agreed in July 1984 to upgrade the
capabilities of the Hotline that serves as a
direct communications link between our respective
heads of government. The U.S. also has proposed
the establishment of a Joint Military
Communications Link to complement the Hotline
channel with a government-to-government link for
the exchange of information that may be helpful
in crisis avoidance or resolution, but the
Soviets so far have refused to discuss the
proposal.
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H.R. 3159 states that the proposed council will
make recommendations to the President and the
Congress in order to '. manage and reduce (an
international crisis) should it occur.' The
language, while vague, implies that the Congress
would have a role in crisis management beyond the
existing mechanisms and traditions of close
consultations with the Executive Branch. The
Administration believes such a provision would
represent an unwise and possibly unconstitutional
dimunition of the responsibilities of the.
Executive Branch in the day-to-day conduct of
foreign policy and the defense of the Nation.
H.R. 3159 states .that the President should extend
an invitation to the Soviets to meet jointly with
the council at-least once every three months and
suggests that similar invitations could be
extended to other nations. The U.S., however, is
already an active participant in several
multilateral organizations (e.g., the United
Nations) whose objectives include the peaceful
resolution of international problems. In
addition, in his speech last May to the European
Parliament, the President reiterated his call for
regular high-level exchanges between U.S. and
Soviet military leaders to develop better
understanding and to prevent potentially serious
incidents from occurring. The Administration
believes that such initiatives to improve
practical communications and exchanges would, if
accepted by the Soviets, prove more beneficial
and would fulfill the function proposed for the
council.
The membership of the proposed council --
civilian, government officials, or a combination
of the two -- is unclear. The Administration
notes, however, that there exists a broad
spectrum of private research and academic
institutions with expertise in crisis management
techniques, and many of these maintain close
contact with the Departments of State and Defense
and other agencies. Moreover, the Administration
is working with Congress to implement legislation
establishing an Institute for Peace that would
perform studies and conduct training to help
resolve international conflict by means other
than military force.
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The Office of Management and Budget advises that from
the standpoint of the Administration's program there is no
objection to the submission of this report.
Sincerely,
William L. Ball, III
Assistant Secretary
Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs
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