RUSSIA MAY B E TESTING THE RE-ENTRY OF WEAPONS FROM SPACE

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP70B00338R000300100069-9
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 19, 2016
• Document Release Date: January 12, 2006
• Sequence Number: 69
• Publication Date: August 20, 1967
• Content Type: NSPR

Approved For Release 2006/01/30 : CIA-RDP70B00338R000300100069-9
THE NEW YORK TIMES, SUNDAY, AUGUST 20,1967_
Russia May Be Testing the Re-Entry of Weapons From Space;
By EVERT CLARK
Special to The New York Times
W,/.SHINGTON, Aug. 19-An
unusual sequence of space
launchings by the Soviet Union
has led some American officials
to conclude that the Russians
are testing techniques for re-
entering warheads from space.
This could mean that the Rus-
sians are developing weapons
to be stationed in orbit. Weap-
on re-entry techniques can beI
tested with or without the use
of weapons, and the same re-
entry techniques can be used
for either nuclear or conven-
tional weapons.
The flights began last Sep-
tember in what was unusual
secrecy even for the Russians.
The most recent flight in the
series of seven was made 11
days ago.
U.N. Resolution Recalled
Since before the space age
began, military analysts have
discussed the possibility of sta-
tioning weapons in orbit. The
ideas proposed have included
bombs, missiles that could in-
tercept other missiles launched
from earth and manned bom-
bers and inspection-interceptor
vehicles.
A United Nations resolution,
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ers boasted in November, 1965,,finally begun tests of the re-extensively with the precise'
of an "orbital missile" thatjentry of warheads from orbit.~control of re-entry vehicles,
could deliver nuclear warheads On Jan. 25 of this ear, Rus_1"on the first or an other or- y from orbital trajectories, even' a
Y
bit around the earth."
Not until last September,
however, did the Russians con-
duct a launching that appeared
to be a test of such a weapon.
That flight, on Sept. 17, 1966,
was made from Tyuratam in
Kazakhstan. Its angle of incli-
nation to the equator was dif-
ferent from that of any previous
Soviet shot.
Soon after launching, the ve-I
hicle was observed by Western
trackipg stations to break into,
at least 80 pieces. On Nov. 2,
1966, a similar shot was made.
Russia did not report the
launching of either vehicle, al-
though it has long used its so-
called "scientific" cosmos satel-
lite series to disguise military
flights, according to American
officials.
In December, 1966, American
officials disclosed their con-
cern over these two flights,
finally listing them in an of-
ficial catalogue even though
Russia had never announced
them.
Even earlier than that, some
military men said privately that
they suspected Moscow had
from Tyuratam at a 49-degree
angle. This one apparently did
not break into a great number
of pieces as the two earlier
ones had. But it remained in
flight for a very short time.
This time, Russia announced
the flight as Cosmos 139, pre-
sumably deciding that Western
detection and discussion of the
two earlier flights made it use-
less to pretend such flights did
not exist.
But Soviet announcements
did not report a period for Cos-
mos 139-the length of time
that the satellite would take to
complete each revolution in
space.
The unusual, short-lived
flights at 49 degrees from the
Tyuratam base have been re-
peated at least four more times
since. Each was given a Cos-
mos number.
I Both the United States and
Russia are developing maneuv-
erable warheads for missiles-
warheads that can alter their
paths late in the flight in order
to confuse interceptor missiles.
But the United States is not
believed to have experimented
with its secret military flights.,
Many of the techniques have
been explored to some degree
in the Gemini civilian manned
flihgts and in military satellite
reconnaissance flights, however.,
In the past, objections to the i
stationing of bombs or inter-
ceptor missiles in orbit have
been many and varied. Com-
pletely aside from the political
considerations, critics have ar-I
gued that orbiting systems are
vulnerable and less efficient'
and some are costly and less
secretive than earth-based mis-
siles.
But Dr. Charles M. Herzfeld,
then a Pentagon scientist, re-
minded Congressmen late last
March that studies of a space-
based anti-missile system were
abandoned three years ago be-1
cause the work was "much too
costly."
"We think the time is getting
ripe again," he said, "to look
at the whole question because
the costs of putting things in
orbit have gone down dra-
matically, so that the over-ally
cost of the system ought to~
come down significantly."
adopted by the General Assem-
bly in 1963 with Soviet sup-
port, calls upon all states to re-
frain from placing weapons of
mass destruction in orbit.
But the question of whether
this prohbits the development
of such weapons as never been
resolved. Soviet military lead-
Approved For Release 2006/01/30 : CIA-RDP70B00338R000300100069-9
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