Letter to the Speaker of the House and the President of the Senate Transmitting Proposed Appropriations Legislation for the United States Arms Control and Disarmament Agency

I TRANSMIT herewith for consideration of the Congress proposed legislation to extend the appropriation authorization for the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency, together with a letter from the Director of the Agency in support of this legislation.

The negotiation of effective arms control arrangements, especially in the area of strategic arms, continues to be a priority objective of this Administration. To that end, the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks will continue in Geneva with a view to implementing the Vladivostok accords and reaching a new strategic offensive arms agreement between the United States and the Soviet Union. This agreement would cover the period through 1985 and include both quantitative and qualitative arms limitations. Additional efforts in the field of arms limitation and disarmament will be devoted to the negotiation of an agreement on underground nuclear explosions for peaceful purposes, to the development of sound international approaches to the problems of nuclear non-proliferation, to the continuation of efforts to reach agreement on mutual and balance force reductions in Central Europe, and to international discussions of the problems of chemical and environmental warfare.

The Arms Control and Disarmament Agency plays an effective and major role in all of these activities. By continuing these negotiations and by seeking solutions to the many complex and difficult problems involved, the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency will play an even more important role in future arms control and disarmament activities.

The attached draft bill would authorize $23.0 million in appropriations for the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency for fiscal years 1976 and 1977. Current authorization and appropriations expire June 30, 1975. The draft bill would also permit the Director of the Agency to grant access to classified information to contractors or subcontractors and their officers and employees on the basis of security clearances granted by the Department of Defense. This amendment would eliminate many unnecessary, expensive and time-consuming investigations in cases where the Agency would require the services of contractors whose officers and employees have already been cleared by the Department of Defense.

I urge early enactment of this measure.

Sincerely,

GERALD R. FORD