Message to the Congress Transmitting the Annual Report of the United States Arms Control and Disarmament Agency February 9, 1983 To the Congress of the United States: I am pleased to transmit to you the 1982 Annual Report of the United States Arms Control and Disarmament Agency. This report, the 22nd submitted since the creation of the agency, provides a complete review of the important work of an Agency which plays a crucial role in our country's national security program. On September 21, 1982, I met at the White House with the three U.S. arms control negotiators, Ambassadors Rowny, Nitze, and Staar before they returned to Europe for the final 1982 sessions of the START, INF, and MBFR negotiations, respectively. At that time, I outlined the following general principles which guide the formation of our arms control policies: Arms control must be an instrument of, and not a substitute for, a coherent security policy aimed in the first instance at the Soviet advantage in the most destabilizing class of weapons ballistic missiles and, especially, intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs). We will work for agreements that truly enhance security by reinforcing peace through deterrence. We must seek agreements that involve substantial and militarily significant reductions on both sides. | |
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