EX-CIA DIRECTOR BUSH SAYS SALT II 'UNVERIFIABLE'

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP88-01315R000400360070-5
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: December 8, 2004
• Sequence Number: 70
• Publication Date: July 14, 1979
• Content Type: NSPR

Approved For Release 2005/01/12 :CIA-RDP88-01315R00040ei69
HUMAN EVENTS
ARTICLE 'FE;1R. 3 14 July 1979
EX-'CI 1 hector Bush
Says SALT 11 'U:nver .fiabie'
Former CIA director George Bush, who is also j
a Republican presidential contender, has come out
foursquare against Jimmy Carter's strategic arms
limitation treaty. Bush, who has proved himself to
be a hardliner in foreign policy, recently asked
rhetorically of his Orlando, Fla., audience-be-
fore his rival, Sen. Howard Baker had opposed
SALT-whether the treaty was verifiable, guaran-
teed U.S. equality or even held the Soviets in
check. Responded Bush: "The straight hard an-
swer in every case... l'Jo!"
Aside from pointing out that the treaty permits
the Soviets to keep more than 300 "very large ICBMs
with seven times the power of our largest MIRVed
missile, while we are permitted none of these re-
markably destructive weapons, Bush stressed
that the treaty was "unverifiable." As the ex-chief
of the CIA, his remarks take on added weight.
There is only one question on the subject I
of verification, he said, "Can we catch the
Soviets if they try to cheat? And again, the
answer is ominous for the United States. The
fact is that under this treaty, we are virtually
unable to monitor whether the Soviets comply
with its terms."
The Soviets, he said, "have flatly refused to
permit on-site inspections to verify such compli-
ance. Stansfield Turner, the current chief of the
CIA; has testified in closed session before the Sen-
ate that it will take until 1984 to fully restore the
intelligence capability that we had for monitoring
Soviet missile tests and development, but that was
lost when Iran went up in flames.-
"Everyday, it seems, we learn how high a price
we must pay for the loss of our close ties with Iran-
whether it is in higher prices at the gas pump, long
lines at the filling station, or an inability to keep a-
close eye on Soviet nuclear armament. -
"When it comes to verification of SALT II,
Jimmy Carter will ask us to trust the Soviets as he
once asked us to trust him. But I should say to I
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