Anti-Satellite (ASAT) Weapons and Talks
31. Memorandum From the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Brzezinski) to President Carter
Source: Carter Library, National Security Council, Institutional Files, Box 95, SCC 082, Space Policy, ASAT Hostile Acts and Tests, 6/1/78. Top Secret; Codeword. Sent for urgent action. Carter initialed the memorandum.
32. Presidential Directive/NSC–39
Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Brzezinski Material, Subject File, Box 4, Anti-Satellite System (ASAT): 7/77–10/80. Top Secret. The Department of State transmitted the instructions to the ASAT Delegation in telegram 143176 to Helsinki, June 6. (National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, P840128–2119)
33. Telegram From the Embassy in Finland to the Department of State
Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, D780256–0548. Secret; Immediate; Exdis. Also sent Immediate to the National Security Council, the Secretary of Defense, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Central Intelligence Agency, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
34. Summary of Conclusions of a Special Coordination Committee Meeting
Source: Carter Library, National Security Council, Institutional Files, Box 99, Top Secret; Ruff; Talent Keyhole; [codewords not declassified]. The meeting took place in the White House Situation Room.
35. Summary of Conclusions of a Special Coordination Committee Meeting
Source: Carter Library, National Security Council, Institutional Files, Box 21, PD/NSC–45. Top Secret; Ruff; [codewords not declassified]. The meeting took place in the White House Situation Room.
36. Memorandum From the Deputy Director of the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency (Keeny) to the President’s Deputy Assistant for National Security Affairs (Aaron)
Source: Carter Library, National Security Council, Institutional Files, Box 100, SCC 125, ASAT, 1/18/79. Secret.
37. Memorandum From the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Brzezinski) to President Carter
Source: Carter Library, National Security Council, Institutional Files, Box 21, PD/NSC–45. Top Secret. In the upper right-hand corner, Carter wrote “Zbig. J.”
38. Presidential Directive/NSC–45
Source: Central Intelligence Agency, Office of the Director of Central Intelligence, Job 81B00112R, Subject Files, Box 16, Folder 8: (SCC) ASAT. Top Secret.
39. Telegram From the Embassy in Switzerland to the Department of State
Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, D790037–0612. Secret; Immediate; Exdis. Sent for information Immediate to the National Security Council, the Secretary of Defense, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Central Intelligence Agency, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
40. Memorandum From the Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affaris (Slocombe) to Secretary of Defense Brown
Source: Library of Congress, Manuscript Division, Harold Brown Papers, Box 50, ASAT. Top Secret. The memorandum is stamped “SECDEF Has Seen 8 Feb 1979.”
41. Telegram From the Embassy in Switzerland to the Department of State
Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, D790058–0061. Secret; Immediate; Exdis. Sent for information Immediate to the National Security Council, the Secretary of Defense, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Central Intelligence Agency, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
42. Memorandum From Secretary of State Vance to President Carter
Source: Library of Congress, Manuscript Division, Harold Brown Papers, Box 50, International Security Affairs, Negotiations, ASAT. Secret. A note in the upper-right hand corner by an unknown hand reads “dated APPX. 12 Mar 79.”
43. Summary of Conclusions of a Special Coordination Meeting
Source: Carter Library, National Security Council, Institutional Files, Box 102, SCC 148, ASAT, 3/12/79. Top Secret. The meeting took place in the White House Situation Room.
44. Memorandum From the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Brzezinski) to President Carter
Source: Carter Library, National Security Council, Institutional Files, Box 102, SCC 148, ASAT, 3/12/79. Top Secret. Sent for action.
45. Memorandum From Secretary of State Vance and Secretary of Defense Brown to President Carter
Source: Library of Congress, Manuscript Division, Harold Brown Papers, Box 50, ASAT. Top Secret. On April 2, Brzezinski informed the Secretaries that “the President has decided that the agreement need only cover satellites the two sides own or share an interest in with third countries. At the same time, the President notes that his concern with this approach remains. He stated ‘The Soviets can develop a very advanced AS (anti-satellite) capability ostensibly just to destroy PRC satellites. What have we gained?’” (Carter Library, National Security Council, Institutional Files, Box 102, SCC 148, ASAT, 3/12/79)
46. Memorandum From the President’s Deputy Assistant for National Security Affairs (Aaron) to Vice President Mondale, Secretary of State Vance, Secretary of Defense Brown, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (McIntyre), the Director of the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency (Seignious), the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (Brown), the Director of Central Intelligence (Turner), the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Froesch), and the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy (Press)
Source: Carter Library, National Security Council, Institutional Files, Box 21, PD/NSC–45. Top Secret. The Americans and Soviets actually began the third round of talks on April 24. (Telegram 4064 From Vienna to the Department of State, April 25; National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, D790189–0626)
47. Telegram From the Embassy in Austria to the Department of State
Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, D790200–0634. Secret; Immediate; Exdis. Sent for information Immediate to the National Security Council, the Secretary of Defense, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Central Intelligence Agency, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and Moscow.
48. Telegram From the Embassy in Austria to Telegram the Department of State
Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, D790206–0901. Secret; Immediate; Exdis. Sent for information Immediate to the National Security Council, the Secretary of Defense, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Central Intelligence Agency, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and Moscow.
49. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in the Soviet Union
Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, P840142–2594. Secret; Immediate; Nodis. Drafted by Gary Matthews (EUR/SOV); cleared by Joseph Hulings (S/S–O); and approved by Shulman. Sent for information Immediate to the White House.
50. Memorandum From Secretary of State Vance and the Director of the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency (Seignious) to President Carter
Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Brzezinski Material, Subject File, Box 4, Anti-Satellite System (ASAT): 7/77–10/80. Secret.
51. Telegram From the Embassy in Austria to the Department of State
Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, D790230–1031. Secret; Exdis; Niact Immediate. Sent for information Niact Immediate to the National Security Council, the Secretary of Defense, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Central Intelligence Agency, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and Moscow.
52. Memorandum From the President’s Deputy Assistant for National Security Affairs (Aaron) to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Brzezinski)
Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Brzezinski Material, Subject File, Box 4, Anti-Satellite System (ASAT): 7/77–10/80. Secret. Aaron did not initial the memorandum. The memorandum is stamped “ZB HAS SEEN.”
53. Memorandum From Secretary of State Vance and the Director of the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency (Seignious) to President Carter
Source: Library of Congress, Manuscript Division, Harold Brown Papers, Box 50, International Security Affairs, Negotiations, ASAT. Secret. A stamped notation reads “SECDEF HAS SEEN.” In the upper-right hand margin, Brown wrote “6/9. WS [Walter Slocombe]—Doesn’t the Delegation’s proposal give up some of our highly classified programs? I suppose it depends on the language—‘destroy/damage’ might be OK. HB.”
54. Telegram From the Embassy in Austria to the Department of State
Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, D790268–0007. Secret; Immediate; Exdis. Sent for information Immediate to the National Security Council, the Secretary of Defense, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Central Intelligence Agency, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and Moscow.
55. Memorandum of Conversation
Source: Department of State, Office of the Secretariat Staff, Cyrus R. Vance, Secretary of State—1977–1980, Lot 84D241, Box 9, Vance Nodis Memcons, 1979. Secret; Nodis. Drafted by Krimer on June 26. The meeting took place at the Soviet Embassy. Vance was in Vienna from June 15–18, accompanying Carter at the U.S.–USSR Summit.
56. Memorandum of Conversation
Source: Department of State, Office of the Secretariat Staff, Cyrus R. Vance, Secretary of State—1977–1980, Lot 84D241, Vance Exdis Memcons 1979. Secret; Nodis. Drafted by Krimer on June 20; and approved by Aaron. The meeting took place at the Soviet Embassy. The memorandum of conversation is printed in full in Foreign Relations, 1977–1980, vol. VI, Soviet Union, Document 203.
58. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in the Soviet Union
Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, D800174–0742. Confidential; Immediate; Exdis. Sent for information to USNATO. Drafted by McClean; cleared by Mark Palmer (PM/DCA), William Shinn (EUR/SOV), and Suzanne Butcher (S/S–O); and approved by Vest.
59. Summary of Conclusions of a Mini-Special Coordination Committee Meeting
Source: Carter Library, National Security Council, Institutional Files, Box 123, SCC 131, Mini-SCC, ASAT, 6/10/80. Top Secret. The meeting took place in the White House Situation Room.
60. Report Prepared in the Central Intelligence Agency
Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Brzezinski Material, Subject File, Box 4, Anti-Satellite System (ASAT): 7/77–10/80. Secret; [handling restriction not declassified]. A note at the bottom of the page reads: “This memorandum was prepared by the Office of Political Analysis and the Office of Scientific and Weapons Research. It has been coordinated with the Office of Strategic Research, the National Intelligence Officers for the USSR and Eastern Europe and for Strategic Programs, and the Arms Control Intelligence Staff. [Omitted here is information on where comments and queries may be addressed.]”