20 March 1969: Memorandum from Disarmament - ABM System in U.S.

Following up on their March 18 memo to Politco-Military Affairs, Disarmament wrote that through the lens of arms control, “the reasons for deploying an ABM system are not entirely convincing.” Appearing to challenge President Nixon’s assurance that no escalation in the arms race would ensue, the wrote that the “Soviet reaction will determine whether an escalation in the arms race is precipitated and whether the ABM systems on both sides are ‘thickened.’” However, Disarmament did acknowledge that such an escalation was unlikely if strategic arms limitations talks began without delay.