MCCLURE ACCUSES SOVIETS OF CLEARLY VIOLATING SALT II TREATY

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP85M00363R000902020022-9
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 20, 2016
• Document Release Date: January 16, 2008
• Sequence Number: 22
• Publication Date: March 23, 1983
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

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AMES A. MCCLURE U.S. SENATE
PR 83:10
McCLURE ACCUSES SOVIETS OF CLEARLY VIOLATING?SAL*T II TREATY
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: CONTACT.: Bill Livingstone
March 23, 1983 (202) 224-1010
WASHINGTON -- U.S. Senator Jim McClure (R-ID) today accused
.the Soviet Union of clearly violating the SALT II Treaty.
McClure delivered a letter to President Reagan at the White
House this afternoon documenting the Soviet violation, and asked
the President to confirm the treaty violation.
"I strongly believe," McClure said, "that the American
people need to be told the straight truth about the Soviet
behavior."
Using unclassified evidence, McClure shows conclusively that
the Soviets have flight-tested two new Intercontinental Ballistic
Missiles (ICBMs). The SALT II Treaty, however, only allows the
Soviet Union to test one new ICBM.
In article IV, paragraph 9 of the Treaty, both. the U.S. and
the Soviet Union agreed that "each Party may flight-test and
deploy one new type of light ICBM."
Although the SALT II Treaty has not been ratified by the
Senate, both parties are obligated by traditional international
law to do nothing that would "defeat the object and purpose" of
the treaty. The U.S. has declared that it will not "undercut"
SALT II so long as the Soviets show "equal restraint."
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"The violation by the Soviet Union," McClure said, "clearly
both undercuts and defeats the object and purpose of the SALT II
Treaty. It also indicates the Soviets are unwilling to show any
restraint.
The Soviet violation is of paramount importance, McClure
.explained. Currently; Congress is debating arms control
policies, strategic modernization programs, the defense budget,
and the nuclear freeze. The fact that the Soviets can not be
trusted to comply with a treaty, demonstrates the seriousness of
the Soviet strategic threa"t. In addition, it demonstrates the
need for increased U.S. defense efforts, and the failure of SALT
II to solve our security problems.
"I am extremely concerned," McClure said, "about the
Constitutional, legal, political, and national security problems
with prolonged U.S. unilateral compliance with a SALT II Treaty
that has not received the advice and consent of the Senate."
Without debating either the merits of the SALT II Treaty or
accepting the propriety of the U.S. position, McClure said that
it is recognized that the U.S. is complying with SALT II. To
this end, he added, Congress has an obligation to determine
whether the Soviets are showing "equal restraint" or
"undercutting" SALT II.
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In the letter to'President Reagan, Senator McClure also
asked the President 11 other SALT II compliance questions,
including Backfire.and Bear bomber violations, Soviet camouflage,
concealment.and encoding of electronic signals, and violations of
ICBM ceilings.
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