with Gerald Ford and Henry Alfred Kissinger

“ They make up by throw weight.
Kissinger: Throw weight is useful only if it can be translated into numbers of warheads and accuracy. But they haven't yet put on large numbers of warheads -- the most is So large numbers will have to be on the next generation, not the one they are developing now.
Their accuracies are not now up to ours. Whenever you want more throw weight, we can do it any time, within the agreement, in the Minuteman silos. We could probably put warheads per missile, if there is any use to it. ”

“ We had no program even on the drawing board. The Soviets had a big building program going on. What we did is to freeze the force at the '72 level. New missiles could come only by using the old holes. SALT didn't create the numbers gap -- it was there, and SALT put a lid on it.
For sea forces. I talked to the JCS individually and collectively, and they said they didn't want a crash program on submarines immediately in order not to jeopardize Trident.
SALT I was a plus for us and all the talk is politicking. The numbers gap exists only if bombers are not counted. ”

“ Defense puts the emphasis on throw weight because it could be turned into warheads and threaten Minuteman. They are right, but politically they are wrong. Before they got that far we could build a bigger Minuteman, and get mobiles, etc. The Soviets told me in March that if we extend agreement three years, they would give us 1100-1000. ”

“ That would not be fair to the NSC. You just want to talk philosophy. The basic philosphy has been to look at what we and the Soviets were likely to do and then create a situation that the Soviet Union couldn't run away with the arms race. ”

“ I floated with Dobrynin the idea that they get 2500 to 2300 and we get 1300 warheads to their 1000.
President: Let's see. That would include Minuteman.
Kissinger: And Poseidon and Trident. We would keep everything we are planning. The numbers will change a hundred times -- this is just an idea. Schlesinger might buy this, but he would want to insist that the bulk of them be at sea. [Talked about "The Fleet that had to Die."]
Naval warfare doesn't come easy to the Soviets. For us to tell them where to put their missiles would be unacceptable. ”

“ The Europeans are trying to work on the Communist parties so they are pushing this. The Communists have gone along with much of it. We have asked the Europeans to put down all their demands in writing so we can put it to the Soviets, and they don't want to. ”

“ It seems to be in the Europeans' blood that they must cut up anyone who gets ahead. Europe has more wars than any since ancient Greece.
I am convinced many of our problems in Greece come from the British .......................................................................................... ”

“ But you should hear all the arguments from the people themselves. You have an unusual opportunity to get a SALT agreement when Brezhnev comes. He will be afraid you will break out, and your ability to do this will diminish. ”