(SANITIZED) SUMMARY OF PUBLIC POSITIONS ON INF

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP85T00287R000500790021-0
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: November 30, 2010
• Sequence Number: 21
• Publication Date: February 4, 1983
• Content Type: REPORT

Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/11/30: CIA-RDP85T00287R000500790021-0
4 February 1983
Unclassified Summary of Public Positions on INF
The press in West Germany, France and Italy has seized upon President Reagan's statement in
St. Louis that his open letter was meant to counter Soviet propaganda. Moscow, looking towards
the Vice President's arrival in Rome this weekend, has attacked INF deployment in Comiso.
UK After commenting critically on the US summit proposal on Wednesday, The Times yesterday
took a somewhat less negative tone, noting that the Soviets were taken aback by the US
"challenge," and that Moscow remained determined to keep the initiative in the
propaganda war over INF. The Guardian remained cynical, referring to "the impression
of confusion and indecision in US arms control policy." One of the paper's European
correspondents described the Vice President's remarks in the Netherlands as a move away
from the zero option in favor of "significant reductions" in INF, and he inferred that
the US was leaving open the possibility of a summit before any arms agreement was
reached. STAT
West In Brussels yesterday, Vogel called the President's summit offer "constructive." He
Germany also told reporters he had detected no US move from the zero option during his talks
with Vice President Bush. The President's statement that his offer to meet with
Andropov was an attempt to counter Soviet propaganda has made numerous headlines
("Reagan Admits Letter was Propaganda Reply"--"Reagan: No New Signal"). The
Sueddeutsche Zeitun9 (independent) contrasts the President's statement with a statement
made by White House spokesman that the proposal was "not just aimed at impressing the
public." Former Chancellor Schmidt; speaking in Belgium, warned both the US and USSR
against "propaganda actions" in the INF negotiations. He said that current US and
Soviet contributions to the INF discussions are, "at best, accompanying psychological
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France The French press yesterday downplayed the importance of the summit proposal, claiming
that the President and unnamed White House officials had dismissed it as a "propaganda"
move. According to the very conservative daily Le Figaro, "the Americans recognize
they do not know how to handle their own publicity. The US is now in the position of
culprit despite the fact that their stand is the best one from a moral point of
view." Former Prime Minister Raymond Barre, in a recent interview in the centrist Le
Point, approved Mitterrand's strong reiteration of France's support for the Alliance
but, like former President Giscard, implicity criticized Mitterrand's outspokenness on
INF deployment: "Let's not tell others to do something which we are not willing to
accept ourselves." STAT
Italy The Leftist Repubblica yesterday criticized the President's recent remarks in St. Louis
and noted that "candor in foreign policy can be dangerous and counter productive." It
suggested that the President has complicated the Vice President's mission and
threatened Chancellor Kohl's electoral prospects. The same theme was echoed by the
Christian Democrat paper 1 'Unita and Paese Sera (Communist). Centrist Corriere Della
Sera expressed optimism a out the prospects for East-West relations despite Andropov's
rejection of the President's summit proposal, citing "rumors" that new proposals for
the Geneva negotiations would emerge after the Vice President returned to Washington.
USSR The newspaper Soviet Russia today called the stationing of GLCMs in Comiso, Sicily, a
"dangerous step" and warned that their deployment would further "stimulate the arms
race" in the Balkan and the Mediterranean regions. TASS yesterday described the Vice
President as functioning "in the best traditions of American advertising." It asserted
that his statements while in Western Europe are "fresh proof" that the US lacks even
the "slightest intention" of reaching a mutual agreement at the INF talks in Geneva.
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/11/30: CIA-RDP85T00287R000500790021-0