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DEPARTMENT OF THE AIR FORCE

OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY

MEMORANDUM

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AST NATIONAL RECONNAISSANCE OFFICE

WASHINGTON, D.C.

THE NRO STAFF October 5, 1971

MEMORANDUM FOR THE RECORD •

SUBJECT: Visit to Mr. Gathright, State Department,

October 4, 1971

As a follow-up to our request to have the NSAM 156

Committee review the potential impact of the SALT ratification

process, I visited Mr. W. E. Gathright at his office.

Mr. Gathright is one of Ambassador Johnson's assistants.

Our discussions centered on four general areas:

First, State feels that a review of the ratification

impact is necessary and appropriate for the NSAM 156 Committee.

Mr. Gathright was not certain as to the general Congressional

awareness of the NRP. I explained that key members of the

House and Senate followed our activities closely and that

these people would likely be central to the minimization of

open discussions on US national means of verification of an

arms limitation.

Second, Mr. Gathright wondered if the ratification

proceedings would be an appropriate occasion for introducing

the "fact of" disclosure. I discouraged this thesis on the

basis of the political uncertainties concerning the acceptance

of ERTS and SKYLAB. I also mentioned the letter that Mr. Packard

will send to Ambassador Johnson stating support for the

NSAM 156 Committee's caution toward acceptance of the satellite

'overflight principle.

Third, Mr. Gathright wondered how candid the SALT

Delegations have been in discussing national means. I explained

that the JCS ACSAN people have told me that there has been

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fairly candid discussion, tangentially, about satellites.

It was acceptable to both sides to ambiguously term the

collectors "national technical means" without specifically

defining the term. This matter was a subject for an early

SALT interagency paper, chaired by Ambassador Bohlen.

Finally, I passed two SALT generated papers to

Mt. Gathright which discuss the possible forms which a

strategic arms limitation. could take. I feel that the

papers could form a basis for the NSAK 156 review. The

JCS ACSAN people feel that there is a high probability of

agreements being reached sometime soon'after the first of

the year.

At the conclusion of our discussion, I offered to assist

in the writing of the "strawman" paper following the initial

meeting of the working group which will occur shortly.

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