ABSTRACT
Ironically the problems that the Reagan administration confronted after it proposed interim basing of MX were to a large extent a product of their own blundering. The MX’s massive acquisition costs became a pivotal issue in the congressional controversy between the Democrats and Ronald Reagan’s Republicans over how to trim the budget, during the debate on the FY 1983 DOD authorization bill. From the time of the Reagan proposal for interim silo basing to his withdrawal of that proposal in July 1982, the congressional arena was again setting the agenda for MX decision making. On November 22, 1982, Reagan recommended the deployment of MX in a dense pack scheme in southeastern Wyoming. The results of the 1982 election were interpreted by many in both the Senate and House as a negative statement about the Reagan administration. Reagan read the House vote as precarious support for his defense plan.
