Nixon to Announce ABM Decision In Broadcast to Nation on Friday

President Nixon yesterday called a nationally broadcast press conference for Friday to announce his decision on the Sentinel antiballistic missile system, the most controversial issue his administration has faced so far. It seems likely that Nixon's decision will be to make no decision at all.

At one time it was widely believed that the President would give the go-ahead for resuming work on the AMB, which would place nuclear tipped weapons around major cities. As opposition to the project mounted, however, it began to seem more likely that he might call for the system's deployment only in areas removed from population centers.

When Nixon announced that he would make a decision on the ABM early this week, it appeared he had definitely decided to institute limited deployment of the system. Increased testimony in opposition to the ABM, however, made Nixon postpone the announcement of his decision and may have made him change his mind.

On Tuesday George B. Kistiakowsky, Abbot and James Lawrence Professor of Chemistry at Harvard, and two other authorities told a Senate subcommittee that the ABM would increase rather than decrease the possibility of nuclear war. Congressional leaders, both Republican and Democratic, hesitated to predict the outcome of a Senate vote on the issue.

Nixon has an acute political consciousness. He may seek a way out of the controversy rather than face possible defeat in the Senate at the hands of an anti-Sentinel force led by Sen. Edward M. Kennedy '54 (D-Mass).

The easiest course for Nixon to follow would be to postpone a decision until after he is able to determine the Russian position. This would give the President an opportunity to let the controversy cool. It could also pave the way for a possible summit conference with the Russians in the spring, which has been stated as a long-term Nixon objective.