Office of the Historian

184. Memorandum From the President’s Science Adviser (DuBridge) to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger)1 2

Washington, February 10, 1970

Subject:

  • Revised Paper, dated 4 February 1970, on Toxins (NSSM–85)

As requested, the following comments on the subject document are provided:

1.

It is my judgment that the selection of Option II, rather than Option I, represents the soundest way to implement the policy the President has already enunciated and at the same time permit the Department of Defense to develop additional capabilities with toxins when they are synthesized as ordinary chemicals. It would answer most of the critics of the President’s policy, since it would be clear that we would have no need for maintaining biological production facilities at Pine Bluff for military purposes. The selection of Option III rather than Option II would appear to do little more in this regard but would be more restrictive on the future activities of the DOD.

The selection of Option II, I believe, would be favorably received in public discussions since it would extend the recent prohibition on biological warfare to include toxins actually produced by biological means. It would not, however, preclude the use of synthesized toxins, whose exclusion could introduce ambiguities into what was and was not allowable.

2.
Before forwarding the document to the President, I would suggest the following changes be made:
a.
Add to the footnote at the bottom of page 18, the following: “but provide very substantial protection against presently available toxins.”
b.
Page 22, item 3, modify to read: “Would remove the most important basis …”
c.
Page 24, item 1, modify to read: “Toxins are chemical substances and differ from other chemicals only in that the toxins are produced primarily by biological organisms.”
Lee A. DuBridge
Science Adviser
  1. Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, NSC Institutional Files (H-Files), Box H–26, NSC Meeting 2/11/70, Policy on Toxins. Secret.↩
  2. DuBridge recommended Option II in the NSSM 85 report on toxin policy, arguing it would be more favorably received in public forums than Option I and less restrictive of DOD’s future activities than Option III.↩