  General arguments for optimized coronagraphy in the search for planets are
presented. First, off-axis telescopes provide the best telescopic platforms for
use with coronagraphy, and telescope fabrication technology now allows the
fabrication of such telescopes with diameters of up to 6.5 m. We show that in
certain circumstances a smaller telescope with an off-axis primary has a
signal-to-noise advantage compared with larger Cassegrain telescopes. Second,
to fully exploit the advantages of the coronagraph for suppressing stray light,
it is necessary to use a high Strehl ratio adaptive optics system. This can be
best achieved initially with modest aperture telescopes of 3--4 m in diameter.
Third, application of simultaneous differential imaging and simultaneous
polarimetric techniques are required to reach the photon-limit of coronagraphic
imaging. These three developments, if pursued together, will yield significant
improvements in the search for planets.
