White House Talking Points - Baroody

From: WH-PA (EOP 0 41) Posted: Thu 17-Nov-83 15:11 Sys 64 (172)
Subject: URGENT -- ,.WHTIE Hops~ TAT.KING P~I.S November 17, 1983

Acknowledgment Sent 1-·-
~c:'MLi 1- £) I
November 16, 1983
ABC's "THE
..._.....__~~----.,._- DAY AFTER"
..,rjp---~.;.;;..;.;;.;;.;..
"We are a people of peace . \·le u n d e rs t and the terrible

trauma of human suffe r i ng ... A nu c l e a r war can n ever
be won and must never be fough t."
Pres i den t Reagan

Address .to Japanese Diet
November 11 , 1 9 8 3
Nuc]ear Catastrophe
o While the ABC film has a lr e ady drawn a great dea l of

criticism -- much of it j usti fied -- the re is one
point upon which all xgr ee : n ucle a r war is a horror ,
almost too awful to comp r ehend .
o The film is powerful and graphic i n pr es enting the

horrors of a nuclear holo caust, but it lea v es
unanswered the central q u e stion: how d o we p re v en t
this catastrophe from eve r h a ppening?
How to Prevent It
o For nearl y 40 years -- spanning 7 Pr e sidencies,

Republican and Democratic -- the United States has
pursued a two-track polic y to keep the nuclear p e ace:
(1) Deterrence
(2) Arms Control
And we have kept the peace! As columnist David Broder

wrote on November 16, 1983:
" ... it is accurate to say that the single most

effective creation of the postwar world has been the
s y ste ~ of nuclear deterrence enforced by the United
Sta tes and the Soviet Union against each other and,
implicitly, against all other nuclear powers in the
~orld . That system was designed to prevent the
outbre ak of nuclear war. As we approach the end of
t h e four th decade of the nuclear age, a period in
wh ic~ th ere have been hundreds of other wars, it has
worke d t o perfection. That is a statement that ca n be
ade abou t fe w other institutions or arrangements. "
- 2 -
Peace Through Strength
o The greatest threat to nuclear peace began to appear

in the 1970s as the Soviet Union engaged in the most
massive buildup of arms that the world has ever known.
They were challenging the s y stem of deterrence. ~he
Soviet build-up, had it continued unchecked, would
have upset the balanc e of power.
o President Reagan has sought to restore that bal an c e --

and thus strengthened the prospects for peace. Tod a y ,
with our military preparedness improved and ou r
alliances cemented, the wo rld is safer than it was
three y ears ago.
o The President has also presented a bold, far-r eachinq

plan for the fut ure that would lift the nuclea r Swo r d
of Damocles once and for all. On March 23, 1983, the
President proposed a system of nuclear strategic
defense -- as opposed to current offensive weapons --
intended to stop war before it starts. This s ysteR
would destroy any attacking weapon before it reached
us. Scientists and others are currently wor king t o
put the plan into place.
Arms Reductions on Botn Sides
o While working to strengthen U.S. deterrence on one

hand, President Reagan has also been making v i g o r o· s
efforts to end the arms race on the other.
o In fact, this President is the first who has go ne

beyond arms control -- he is seeking arms
"Our current goal," the President told the nation this
July, "must be reduction of nuclear ar senals -- a nd I
for one believe we must never depart from t h e u l timate
goal of banning them from the face of the Eart h ."
o Over the past 3 years, the United States has engaged

the Soviets in more arms negotiations t han e v er
before:
(1) START talks in Geneva -- The Reagan

Administration has proposed to cut the number of
strategic missile warheads b y 1 / 3.
(2) INF talks in Geneva -- The President firs t

proposed the "zero-zero" option, whi ch would mea n
that neither the Soviets nor t he U.S. would
deploy intermediate range missiles. In view of
Soviet intransigence, the President has si n ce
made a series of offers that would make a
balanced reduction in such missiles. Should the
Soviets walk out of the INF talks, as they have c
threatened, the U.S. will remain at the table,
eager to negotiate.
(3) MBFR talks in Vienna -- These negoti a tions
on Mutual and Balanced Force Reductions are aimed
at reducing each side's military manpower in
Central Europe. The West put a new draft treaty
on the table in July, 1982, but the East has n ot
yet responded constructively.
(4) Chemical weapons 3 x 2 30 in Geneva -- In the

Committee on Disarmament in Geneva , the U.S. and
its allies are seeking a complete a nd verifiable
ban on chemical weapons production and
stockpiling. The U.S. has also drawn attentio n
to violations of existing a ccords b y th e Sov iets
and their allies, who have employe d ch e~ica l and
toxin weapons in Afghanistan, Kamp uchea and Lao s.
Note: In addition to these formal t alks , the

U.S. under President Reagan ha s propo sed to the
Soviets to begin negotiations on nuclear testing a.d
on a range of new confidence-bui ldi . g meas ures
(including prior notificatio n of ballistic issile
lauches, prior notification of ma~or mi itar_·
exercises, and expanded exchange of forces data).
Other Points of Interest
o There are federal plans for civi l defen se and t h e

Reagan administration is working to imp r ove t.e , but
no one in this country belie ves t hat any p_an -- .o
matter how comprehsive and well-t hough t - out -- va _
fully prepare for nuclear attac k .
o U.S. policnes of deterrence are supportec e = seas and

b y both partie s here at home. This fa: :, =or exa.~p e ,
the U.S. is deplo y ing intermedia ~e rage ~ssi · es ~o
Europe at the re qu est o f NATO and un · e= a~ agree .£nt
reac h ed b y the Carter admini st ratior. . .'.ost c :: t . .e
curren t De mo cratic contenders ::or Presider.t, ir:c · ·c .. a
Messrs. Mondale and Gle nn, fa o r t· e dep o _ ..e .t .
o Critic s frequently -- and ista ke n y -- c~a rg e t a t

the U.S. is bli nd ly buildi g u stoc. _ i _es of ~eapo s .
In fact, the U.S. has consiste~ tr· e . . -'- c ai .. tai
the lowest possi ble number c :: r.· c ear weapons . oday ,
the U.S. has 1 / 3 f e ... er uc ear ·eap . s l--a ir. 196 5,
and the tota l yi eld (or . eg ato.nage } is o y / 4 of
what it was in 1960 .
o Nuclear freeze advocates are citing the ABC film as
support for their view. What they fail to say is that
a freeze on the number of weapons at present levels
would freeze the risk at present levels. President
Reagan is commited to going beyond a freeze, reducing
both the nuIT~ers of weapons and the risks of war.
* * *
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT MIKE BAROODY 456-7170.
PLEASE DISTRIBUTE ASAP TO SPOKESMEN.

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From: WH-PA (EOP 0 41) Posted: Thu 17-Nov-83 15:11 Sys 64 (172)

Subject: URGENT -- ,.WHTIE Hops~ TAT.KING P~I.S November 17, 1983

"We are a people of peace . \·le u n d e rs t and the terrible

Pres i den t Reagan

o While the ABC film has a lr e ady drawn a great dea l of

o The film is powerful and graphic i n pr es enting the

o For nearl y 40 years -- spanning 7 Pr e sidencies,

And we have kept the peace! As columnist David Broder

" ... it is accurate to say that the single most

Peace Through Strength

o The greatest threat to nuclear peace began to appear

o President Reagan has sought to restore that bal an c e --

o The President has also presented a bold, far-r eachinq

Arms Reductions on Botn Sides

o While working to strengthen U.S. deterrence on one

o In fact, this President is the first who has go ne

o Over the past 3 years, the United States has engaged

(1) START talks in Geneva -- The Reagan

(2) INF talks in Geneva -- The President firs t

(4) Chemical weapons 3 x 2 30 in Geneva -- In the

Note: In addition to these formal t alks , the

Other Points of Interest

o There are federal plans for civi l defen se and t h e

o U.S. policnes of deterrence are supportec e = seas and

o Critic s frequently -- and ista ke n y -- c~a rg e t a t

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT MIKE BAROODY 456-7170.

PLEASE DISTRIBUTE ASAP TO SPOKESMEN.

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