Jake Garn was a U.S. Senator from Utah from 1974-1993. In the interview he notes that he did not oppose deploying the MX missile in Utah, but did believe that the racetrack basing mode was not survivable because the Soviets had enough warheads to take out the decoy and actual missile silos. He also argues that SALT II was not a successful arms control treaty because it only limited the number of launchers, rather than the number of lethal warheads. He discusses the political position of western states, where the federal government owns a majority of the land, which in his view results in those states wishes being disregarded in the face of federal priorities. Senator Garn emphasizes that he does not oppose the MX missile system, or any of the proposed missiles, only the basing mode, which he argues should not have money wasted on it. He notes the difficulty in arguing with opponents of missile systems, when decisions are based on emotions, and he cannot respond with facts at his disposal because they are classified. He also defends his delayed opposition to the MX missile system, as proposed with the basing mode, saying that he not only opposed it on principle, but also took time to read the fine print and deliberate the facts. He credits himself and Senator Paul Laxalt with killing the racetrack basing mode, and notes that despite the great impact of the Mormon Church in Utah, its influence did not reach Washington, D.C.
![Interview with Ashton Carter, 1987 [1]](https://bpldcassets.blob.core.windows.net/derivatives/metadata/commonwealth-oai:69700x11n/image_thumbnail_300.jpg)