SAFEGUARD STEERING COMMITTEE

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: Library of Congress
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): LOC-HAK-449-3-5-5
• Release Decision: RIFLIM
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: January 11, 2017
• Document Release Date: February 26, 2010
• Sequence Number: 5
• Publication Date: February 9, 1971
• Content Type: MEMO

No Objection to Declassification in Full 2010/02/26: LOC-HAK-449-3-5-5 NSC 25726
TOP SECRET
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
February 9, 1971
W
MEMORANDUM FOR
THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE
SUBJECT: SAFEGUARD Steering Committee
The President has directed the creation of an interagency committee
to develop in a coherent way the legislation and rationale to support
his decision on SAFEGUARD. The Department of Defense has been
charged with chairing this committee.
The President has directed the following guidelines to be used to
develop the rationale:
(1) The proposed SAFEGUARD program is intended to provide
flexibility for several contingencies regarding SALT: the talks
might be inconclusive; we may make changes in the U. S. proposals
or, we may continue negotiations based on our current proposal.
The President's program allows for all of these possibilities and,
therefore, does not prejudge decisions to be made in SALT.
(2) The President's program also contributes to progress in SALT:
no new sites specifically for area defense are requested; this confirms
that our area defense can be modified if an equitable SALT agreement
is reached. By keeping open the possibility of a Washington site, we
also take account of the possibility of an agreement with NCA.
(3) The President's program also takes into account the apparent
leveling-off of Soviet land-based ICBM deployments. The continuing
test programs, qualitative improvements, and deployment of submarine
launched ballistic missiles by the USSR, however, would not justify a
lesser decision on SAFEGUARD.
ON-FILE NSC RELEASE
INSTRUCTIONS APPLY
TOP SECRET
No Objection to Declassification in Full 2010/02/26: LOC-HAK-449-3-5-5
 No Objection to Declassification in Full 2010/02/26: LOC-HAK-449-3-5-5
JOP SECRET
W
The President has directed that the rationale be developed and
forwarded to him no later than February 19, 1971. When approved,
the rationale will be provided to all agencies as guidance for
Administration spokesmen. Until that time, there should be no
comment on the President's SAFEGUARD decision.
Hence r 7K1 .s singer
cc: The Secretary of State
The Attorney General
The Director, Central Intelligence
Agency
The Director, Arms Control and
Disarmament Agency
The Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff
TOP SECRET
No Objection to Declassification in Full 2010/02/26: LOC-HAK-449-3-5-5
 No Objection to Declassification in Full 2010/02/26 : LOC-HAK-449-3-5-5
MEMORANDUM
(;~ E r
4TTUNTION
NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL
TOP SECRET
MEMORANDUM FOR DR. KISSINGER
FROM: K. Wayne Smith/Hal Sonnenfeldt `b
SUBJECT: SAFEGUARD Steering Committee
Attached for your signature are guidelines for the SAFEGUARD
Steering Committee.
We think it is important to lay out the central theme in order to
avoid later arguments. We want to preclude any efforts to use
the SAFEGUARD Steering Committee for debates on our SALT
position or for prejudicing SALT decisions still to be made.
If you wish to seek the President's approval first, the attached
memorandum does so.
No Objection to Declassification in Full 2010/02/26: LOC-HAK-449-3-5-5