MEMORANDUM OF CONVERSATION

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: Library of Congress
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): LOC-HAK-280-9-12-8
• Release Decision: RIFLIM
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: January 11, 2017
• Document Release Date: February 1, 2010
• Sequence Number: 12
• Publication Date: December 13, 1974
• Content Type: MEMO

No Objection to Declassification in Full 2010/02/01 : LOC-HAK-280-9-12-8
MEMORANDUM
SECRET/ SENSITIVE
MEMORANDUM OF CONVERSATION
PARTICIPANTS:
President Gerald Ford
Lt. Gen. Brent Scowcr~oft, Deputy Assistant
Senator Harry Byrd
to the President for National Security Affairs
DATE AND Tom: December 13,
PLACE:
Byrd: What do you want help o
President: Do you want a list? First o
Byrd: We have resolved EXIM.
President: Will you vote for cloture?
Byrd: I would rather not, but if it is important to you, 1,
President: 1 would appreciate it, because if we don't it will be behind
the other bills in the schedule.
Byrd: I have some in mind, but I don't know the details.
President: Let me give you the background. They are ahead in launchers
and they have a big program underway. We ended up with agreement on a
ceiling of 2400 which is about 1.50 less than the Soviets have now and
about 200 more than our program. "They have a heavy MMV program.
Their minimum pro gram, according to CIA, would be above the 1320.
They dropped their demands for compensation for FBS and the British
and French forces. They do have more throwweight, but if we need more
throwweight, we have the flexibility to have it and we can increase the size
of our missiles in our silos. If our military think it is necessary, Iwill
support it.
SECRET/ SENSITIVE
No Objection to Declassification in Full 2010/02/01 : LOC-HAK-280-9-12-8
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SECRET / S,EN SIT NE
Byrd: Was an effort made to keep the ceiling lower than 1320?
President: We tried to get the ceilings.on everything as low as possible.
This :was the best we could do. They have a military-industrial complex
too.
I don't want to kid you we can get further reductions, but we will
negotiate on it.
Byrd: Will it be a treaty or
executive agreement?
President: The Senate would have a chance to vote, whateve
Byrd: It sounds good to me. I would have liked lower numbers.
President: Without the agreement, the Soviet numbers would have
increased rapidly. We have capped that. The people who are complaining
are the least likely to agree to the increases in the Defense budget that
would have been needed if we didn't get the agreement.
Byrd: I want to help any way I can.
President: Thank you. I appreciate it.
No Objection to Declassification in Full 2010/02/01 : LOC-HAK-280-9-12-8