Series 4248
MX Coordination Office MX missile deployment and national defense issues subject files
Dates: 1978-1981.
2.00 cubic feet
These records are housed in the Utah State Archives' permanent storage room.
Historical Note
An agency history is available.
Scope and Content
The series consists of various letters, memos, reports, notes, personal statements, and newsletters written by political leaders at all levels of government. Particularly well represented are reports and statements made by officials of the Carter administration, and hearings and reports made by various officials and committees of the U.S. Congress. A television script, from the Bill Moyers Journal program, in which MX issues were debated is included.
The Utah MX Coordination Office collected information to better help Utah officials study and evaluate the potential impact of MX missile deployment in the Great Basin, and these records were apparently acquired for and used in this effort. Information in this series essentially places the MX missile in the context of the larger national defense system. Conflicting opinions from both supporters and opponents of the project are well represented.
The general debate concerned deployment of the MX missile and whether it really contributed to defense of the nation. To a lesser extent the debate about the type and degree of expected environmental, economic, and social impacts of deployment can also be followed. Arguments were often very detailed. Proponents argued that:
(1) The initial cost of MX deployment would be less than alternative missile deployment systems, and that subsequent maintenance costs of the MX system would be comparable.
(2) Effects on the environment would be minimal, resulting in the closure of only approximately twenty-five square miles of land. The system would coexist harmoniously with communities, recreation, ranching, mining facilities, and wildlife.
(3) The MX system would be difficult to attack and eliminate through a first strike, making our other defense systems more secure.
Opponents argued that:
(1) Deployment of the MX would cause severe environmental, social, and economic problems.
(2) It would increase the arms race, so that national security would not really be enhanced.
(3) The MX missile would not really be a mobile system, since each launch point would be fixed. It would also be extremely vulnerable while being built.
(4) Technological advances would make it possible for enemies to distinguish between live missiles and its decoys.
Arrangement
Alphabetical by subject.
Related Records
Governor's MX missile correspondence from the MX Coordination Office, Series 4247, shows the evolution of local public opinion about these same issues.
MX missile news articles from the MX Coordination Office, Series 4249, contains unpublished documents that also express opinions about the role of the missile system in national defense.
Custody History
After the Utah MX Coordination Office was closed in 1981, these records were used as a reference resource in the Office of Planning and Budget. Transfer to the Archives occurred in 1984.
Access Restrictions
This series is classified as Public.
Preferred Citation
Cite the Utah State Archives and Records Service, the creating agency name, the series title, and the series number.
Processing Note
Archival processing was completed in 1987 by Brent Brinkerhoff.
Indexing Terms
- Intercontinental ballistic missile bases—Utah.
- MX (Weapons system).
- Nuclear arms control—Utah.
Container List
| BOX | FOLDER | DESCRIPTION |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Ballistic Missile Defense Program |
| 1 | 2 | Bill Moyer's Journal-MX Debate |
| 1 | 3 | Bill Moyer's Journal-MX Debate (Cont.) |
| 1 | 4 | Bill Moyer's Journal-MX Debate (Cont.) |
| 1 | 5 | Bill Moyer's Journal-MX Debate (Cont.) |
| 1 | 6 | Bill Moyer's Journal-MX Debate (Cont.) |
| 1 | 7 | Bill Moyer's Journal-MX Debate (Cont.) |
| 1 | 8 | Bill Moyer's Journal-MX Debate (Cont.) |
| 1 | 9 | Bill Moyer's Journal-MX Debate (Cont.) |
| 1 | 10 | Bill Moyer's Journal-MX Debate (Cont.) |
| 1 | 11 | Bill Moyer's Journal-MX Debate (Cont.) |
| 1 | 12 | Bill Moyer's Journal-MX Debate (Cont.) |
| 1 | 13 | Bill Moyer's Journal-MX Debate (Cont.) |
| 1 | 14 | Chief of Staff General Lew Allen |
| 1 | 15 | Commander in Chief General Richard Ellis-Strategic Air Command |
| 1 | 16 | Congressional Record |
| 1 | 17 | Congressional Record (Cont.) |
| 1 | 18 | Congressional Record (Cont.) |
| 1 | 19 | Congressional Record (Cont.) |
| 1 | 20 | Congressional Record (Cont.) |
| 1 | 21 | Congressional Record (Cont.) |
| 1 | 22 | Congressional Record Report |
| 1 | 23 | Congressional Record Report (Cont.) |
| 1 | 24 | Congressional Record Report (Cont.) |
| 1 | 25 | Cruise Missile Flight Tests |
| 1 | 26 | Defense Analyst Articles |
| 1 | 27 | Defense Analyst Articles (Cont.) |
| 1 | 28 | Defense Analyst Articles (Cont.) |
| 1 | 29 | Defense Analyst Articles (Cont.) |
| 1 | 30 | Defense Analyst Articles (Cont.) |
| 1 | 31 | Defense Analyst Articles (Cont.) |
| 1 | 32 | Defense Analyst Articles (Cont.) |
| 1 | 33 | Defense Analyst Articles (Cont.) |
| 1 | 34 | Defense Analyst Articles (Cont.) |
| 1 | 35 | Defense Analyst Articles (Cont.) |
| 1 | 36 | Defense Analyst Articles (Cont.) |
| 1 | 37 | Defense Analyst Articles (Cont.) |
| 1 | 38 | Deployment Management Plan |
| 1 | 39 | Deployment Management Plan (Cont.) |
| 1 | 40 | Deputy Undersecretary of Defense |
| 1 | 41 | Ellsworth Air Force Base Tour |
| 1 | 42 | Environmental Impact Analysis Process |
| 1 | 43 | Great Basin Reaction to the MX Proposal |
| 1 | 44 | Horizontal Dash System |
| 1 | 45 | Intercontinental Ballistic Missile Program |
| 1 | 46 | Intercontinental Ballistic Missile Vulnerability |
| 1 | 47 | MX Information Center |
| 1 | 48 | MX Facts and Figures |
| 1 | 49 | MX Missile System Basing Act |
| 1 | 50 | MX Missile System and the Environment |
| 1 | 51 | MX Newsletter |
| 1 | 52 | MX Questions and Answers |
| 1 | 53 | Proposed Deployment Hearings |
| 1 | 54 | Nevada Governor Robert List |
| 1 | 55 | Nevada Governor Robert List (Cont.) |
| 1 | 56 | Nevada Governor Robert List (Cont.) |
| 1 | 57 | Nevada Governor Robert List (Cont.) |
| 1 | 58 | Nevada Governor Robert List (Cont.) |
| 1 | 59 | Nevada Governor Robert List (Cont.) |
| 1 | 60 | President Carter - News Release |
| 1 | 61 | Public Service Communications |
| 1 | 62 | Secretary of Defense Harold Brown |
| 1 | 63 | Senate Armed Services Committee Hearings |
| 2 | 1 | Strategic Air Command |
| 2 | 2 | Submarine Based Missiles |
| 2 | 3 | Technical Issues |
| 2 | 4 | Town Meetings in Utah |
| 2 | 5 | Under Secretary of the Air Force |
| 2 | 6 | Under Secretary of Defense |
| 2 | 7 | Underground Missile Basing Mode |
| 2 | 8 | Underground Missile Basing Mode (Cont.) |
| 2 | 9 | Underground Missile Basing Mode (Cont.) |
| 2 | 10 | Underground Missile Basing Mode (Cont.) |
| 2 | 11 | U.S. Air Force Contractor's Addresses |
| 2 | 12 | U.S. Air Force Fact Sheets on MX Missiles |
| 2 | 13 | U.S. Air Force News Releases |
| 2 | 14 | U.S. Senate and House of Representatives |
| 2 | 15 | U.S. Senate and House of Representatives (Cont.) |
| 2 | 16 | U.S. Senate and House of Representatives (Cont.) |
| 2 | 17 | U.S. Senate and House of Representatives (Cont.) |
| 2 | 18 | U.S. Senate and House of Representatives (Cont.) |
| 2 | 19 | U.S. Senate and House of Representatives (Cont.) |
| 2 | 20 | Utah Governor Scott Matheson |
| 2 | 20 | Utah Governor Scott Matheson (Cont.) |
| 2 | 20 | Utah Governor Scott Matheson (Cont.) |
| 2 | 20 | Utah Governor Scott Matheson (Cont.) |
| 2 | 20 | Utah Governor Scott Matheson (Cont.) |
| 2 | 20 | Utah Governor Scott Matheson (Cont.) |
| 2 | 26 | Utah State Senator Francis Farley |
| 2 | 27 | Utah State Senator Francis Farley (Cont.) |
| 2 | 28 | Utah State Senator Francis Farley (Cont.) |
Page Last Updated October 18, 2012.