No Objection To Declassification 2008 04 29 2 305 MEMORANDUM NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL NSC review s UNCLASSIFIED completed WITH SECRET ATTACHMENT April 10 1980 DOE reVIew completed State Dept review INFORMATION completed MEMORANDUM FOR ZBIGNIEW BRZEZINSKI FROM JERRY OPLINGER a SUBJECT Minutes of the PRC on April 9 1980 Attached for your information and review is a copy of the minutes of the Policy Review Committee Meeting on Non-Proliferation Matters held April 9 and 4 00 p m UNCLASSIFIED WITH SECRET ATTACHMENT No Objection To Declassi cation 2008 04 29 NLC-28-32-8-2-6 No Objection To Declassi cation 2008 04 29 NLC-28-32-8-2-6 2 305 POLICY REVIEW COMMITTEE MEETING April 9 1930 SECRET Time and Place 4 00 p m - 5 30 White House Situation Room Subject Non Proliferation Matters Participants White House Mr David Aaron Ambassador Henry Owen State Secretary Cyrus Vance Deputy Secretary Warren Christopher Ambassador Gerard Smith Ambassador-at-Large and Special Representative of the President for Non-Proliferation Mr Frank Hodsoll Deputy Special US Representative for Non Proliferation Matters OSD Deputy Secretary W Graham Claytor Jr Mr Walter Slocombe Deputy Under Secretary for Policy Planning Ener Mr Worth Bateman Acting Under Secretary Deputy Secretary John Sawhill Dr George Cunningham Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy JCS General David Jones DCI 25x1 5_tansfield Turner Special Assistant for Nuclear Proliferation Intell ACDA Mr Spurgeon Keeny Deputy Director Mr Charles Van Doren Assistant Director Non-Proliferation Bureau OSTP Dr Frank Press Mr Benjamin Huberman OMB Dr John White Mr Dan Taft Deputy Associate Director Special Studies Division SECRET Review 4 10 86 by GGOplinger No Objection To Declassification 2008 04 29 NLC-28-32-8-2-6 No Objection To Declassification 2008 04 29 NLC-28-32-8-2-6 SECRET 2 CEQ Mr Gus Speth Domestic Policy Mr Stuart Eizenstat Ms Kitty Schirmer as Dr Lincoln Bloomfield Mr Jerry Oplinger Mr Thomas Thornton MINUTES Vance opened the meeting by stating that the objectives of the PreSident's 1977 non-proliferation policies remain valid But do our assumptions about how to achieve those objectives Our policies have not been as effective as we hoPed and have caused resentment with our Allies We have to respond to their energy needs and this could lead to a better non-proliferation regime Smith's proposals have been approved by and ACDA and we should try to agree to send the paper forward to the President as soon as possible s Smith said that in preparing his paper he did not want to demean the President's 1977 policies Those policies have greatly increased international awareness that the fuel cycle is a dangerous beast Our successes include persuading the FRG and France not to export sensitive technologies turning off dangerous developments in Korea and Taiwan and cancellation of the reprocessing contract in Pakistan INFCE came out better than expected 0n issues while there has been a fair amount of static we did not turn any down Our failures include the ERG Brazil deal Argentina and our efforts to use organized sanctions in Pakistan We have not made a dent on India and have not made much progress with South Africa although we probably did manage to abort a test S We now face the problem of the period and the NPT Review Conference The law requires us to get consent rights over repro- cessing in the US-EURATOM agreement Europeans have hinted that they might be willing to give us the juridical right if there were an implied understanding on how we would exercise it The Japanese plan to build a large reprocessing plant they want predictability in meeting their plutonium requirements S Smith said that we have essentially three options to continue on our present course which would not get us to our 1977 objectives to follow the course advocated by the UK a universal code of nuclear trade which is dangerous or to become more flexible and try to build a better regime The proposals put forward would not require a change in the law but he personally hoped that we would change it later S SECRET No Objection To Declassification 2008 04 29 NLC-28-32-8-2-6 No Objection To Declassification 2008 04 29 SECRET 3 Smith defined the regime he seeks as including - full-scoPe safeguards as a common supplier requirement for new export commitments deferral of thermal recycle - - reaffirmation and perhaps extension of FRG and French policies not to export enrichment and reprocessing technology enhanced coOperation in dealing with mavericks and - multinational auspices for sensitive facilities S Smith said that what he seeks now is approval of planning assumptions i e authority to take soundings in some depth on the Hill and abroad particularly on the central question of relaxing our policy to permit generic approval of reprocessing and plutonium use in advanced countries S There was some discussion of which countries might qualify for this treatment Would Korea for example qualify Smith said that the scheme was intended to have an evolutionary character if Korea and Taiwan want in it would be hard to say no S Smith said that he also wanted to offer long-term fuel licenses for NPT parties he would issue licenses for the life of the reactor S Smith said that if we fail to do something along these lines our policy would begin to fall apart Other countries are turning to the Soviets Europe is currently doing more enrichment for Europe than the 0 8 They are also building their own enrichment plants He did not think that the changes would have any affect on domestic nuclear programs such as Barnwell and Clinch River He had talked to Congressman Bingham and other staffers we would run into some static but there are other Congressmen who will believe the changes don't go far enough S Owen asked exactly what the President is being asked to decide would it Be authority to open negotiations Smith said it would be authority to go ahead with Congress and Japan and EurOpe with the President's approval to be sought before we get locked in It is hard to define when he would come back to the President perhaps before we give them specific proposals But the President would be free to change the timing or substance as we go along S Smith said that no acncessions would be agreed until everything in the package was agreed the deal is a whole package S SECRET No Objection To Declassi cation 2008 04 29 NLC-28-32-8-2-6 No Objection To Declassification 2008 04 29 SECRET 4 As for the risks of public perception of a major change Smith said that is why he regards his proposals as planning assumptions At the end of the negotiation he felt that the public would accept the result S Asked about the acceptability of relaxing our policy only for some countries and not for advanced LDC's like Brazil Argentina and Taiwan Smith said Argentina won't be producing plutonium in quantities until the next decade He could not predict the future but full scope would help to prevent new deals without adequate safeguards S Aaron said that what the US would give up is clear it is not clear what we would require in return There would be increased flow on plutoniums but the regime the flow goes into is not very clear The goal of better soaperation for problem countries may become a con- stantly moving target others will pocket our concessions but it is not clear we will get the desired return S Smith said that if we only succeed in getting an effective IPS we would be better off than now S Eisenstat said he had real concerns on the signal this change would send with regard to our position on Clinch River and domestic repro cessing he wanted to consider this further and take Congressional soundings We have a great deal of water to carry on the Hill already with energy matters and the NRC reorganization plan He did not want to set off a wave of indignation among those who have supported the President He reserved his position S Keeny agreed that Smith's proposals would be helpful to non-proliferation We should be clear about the package of guide Generic approval of should not constrain us in arguing against premature plutonium commitments and IPS should not be taken as a green light for repro cessing We should retain our bilateral approval rights in estab- lishing an Speth said that the effect of the proposals would be to put the US stamp of approval on reprocessing and plutonium use In the long run the policy would be based on an explicitly discriminatory regime He felt that the paper presented one point of View the President needs to hear the contrary case He felt this might be presented by the NSC He was not optimistic that the line that we were not radically changing the policy would wash and felt that Bingham Zablocki and others would be very skeptical S Aaron said he had reservations about Congressional explorations That couId trigger newspaper stories about a major change in policy He felt we need a systematic study of all options Smith's proposals may be better than other ideas but the questions of guide other options and the effect on near proliferators needed to be closely analyzed He also felt it was important to look at the question of timing S SECRET No Objection To Declassi cation 2008 04 29 No Objection To Declassi cation 2008 04 29 NLC-28-32-8-2-6 SECRET 5 Claytor said he thought Smith was absolutely right and it was time to move S Jones also supported Smith S vance said a working group would be established to produce a full options paper in two weeks s SECRET No Objection To Declassi cation 2003 04 29 NLC-28-32-B-2-6                     National Security Archive    Suite 701  Gelman Library  The George Washington University    2130 H Street  NW  Washington  D C  20037    Phone  202 994‐7000  Fax  202 994‐7005  nsarchiv@gwu edu