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Show ffl tan i &.00iiliidtEii8Elf In response to a letter from U.S. Senators Jake Garn (R-Utah) and Paul Lax-alt Lax-alt (R-Nev.) a top defense department official said no money Is being spent that would commit us to a single basing mode for the MX missile. William J. Perry, Undersecretary Under-secretary of Devense for Research and Engineering, Engineer-ing, told the senators In the wrong choice,"theSena- ! tor noted. Since other options are still available, those of us j who haye the responsibility j for the appropriations of j funds necessary for the j eventual construction of any ) MX missile system have an J obligation to examine care- fully those options, as well ! as the proposed racetrack J system. lJ , i.. Racetrack Basing Schemi- I I forthrMXMiiiMlf Q n a letter that "we are not using any FY 1980 appropriations appro-priations in a fashion that would commit us to a single sin-gle basing mode. ' Garn said Perry's letter let-ter should lessen fears expressed ex-pressed in Utah news media recently that the Air Force was going to run roughshod over Utahns in Its haste to build the MX racetrack. Nothing is going to happen on MX without Congress' approval. The people's concerns will be expressed through their elected officials. Nobody is going to be stampeded into approvng an MX system which may be Garn and Laxalt will hold hearings In early May to look Into alternative MX basing bas-ing modes. They say "we believe we must have the best system and that we must have it as soon -as 'possible, Prior to the final decision on the MX basing mode, and in order to fully inform the public, we feel that It Is absolutely essential es-sential to have all the alternatives al-ternatives and their costs and capabilities and impacts on the table for a full re - 1 view. This kind of evaluation evalu-ation is necessary if we are 1 to build a consensus in the Congress and among the public for this major pro- 1 gram." pvpppppppppppppp |
