Interview with Eugene Rostow, 1986

Eugene Rostow, a Yale law professor, served as Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs from 1966-1969 and Chairman of the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency (ACDA) from 1981-1983. In the early 1980s he was chair of the Committee on the Present Danger (CPD). In the interview, he discusses at length his views on the Soviet threat, focusing initially on the late 1970s, which he regards as a period of significant Soviet expansion. He describes Moscow's goals in arms control talks as being to gain acknowledgement of their right to nuclear superiority. On the other hand, the U.S. objective, in his view, should be to retain a retaliatory capacity that would allow U.S. conventional forces to defend the national interest as necessary. He asserts the U.S. has always been interested in arms control agreements. He also points up several problems he and the CPD identified in both the SALT I and II accords. The interview goes into historical episodes such as the Cuban missile crisis and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, each of which holds certain lessons for Mr. Rostow, regarding the perception of power in the former instance and the nature of Soviet intentions in the latter. Iran, in his opinion, reflects at least partly the results of Soviet attempts to stir up regional troubles. Back to the topic of arms control, he explains, among other things, his objections to Paul Warnke's appointment as a negotiator, his arguments in favor of the MX and Midgetman missiles, and some of his critiques of President Carter's policies. He did, however, support Carter's Presidential Directive 59. Further topics include Soviet attitudes toward specific arms control agreements, whether Carter's late-term views of Soviet policy differed substantially from Ronald Reagan's, and the origins of the CPD.