SENATOR NUNN SEES U.S. ARMS-LAG PERIL

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP88-01315R000400380117-1
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: December 8, 2004
• Sequence Number: 117
• Publication Date: May 1, 1979
• Content Type: NSPR

Approved For Release 2005/01/12 : CIA-RDP88-01315R00040038011n-V
ARTICLE APP7 BED
ON PAS GE_'
NEW YORK TIMES
1 MAY 1979
SENATOR NUNN SEES
U.S. ARMS-LA6 PERIL
Lists Steps That Should Be Taken
to Strengthen Military Before
Weapons Pact Is Signed.
By RICHARD BURT
Special tom.NewYo'ikTlmes
WASHINGTON, April 30 - Senator
Sam Nunn, Democrat of Georgia, said
today that unless. the. United States
moved quickly, to strengthen its nuclear
and conventional armed forces, a new
strategic-arms treaty with Moscow
would "do little more than ratify an
emerging Soviet military superiority."
Speaking at the. annual meeting of the
Chamber of Commerce of. the United
States, Mr. Nunn expressed strong dis-
satisfaction with the existing level of
American defenses.
The Senator said that if President Car-
ter thought "that the present military
balance and trends within it are an ac-
ceptable foundation for our nation's se-
curity, I respectfully disagree."
Influence on White House
However, today's speech appeared to
suggest that Mr. Nunn's final position on
the agreement would be based less on the
specific terms of the accord than on the
military programs Mr. Carter is pre-
pared to support in conjunction with it.
Speaking to an enthusiastic audience,
Mr. Nunn listed several steps toward im-
proving American defense capabilities
that he said were necessary "with or
without" the projected treaty.',These in-
cluded reducing the. vulnerability of
strategic missiles, modernizing nuclear
forces in Europe, increasing naval ship-
building and revitalizing "intelligence
capability."
Position of `Clinging Parity'
Mr. Nunn termed these tasks "essen-
tial to our national. security" and said
that no foreseeable arms-control accord
could "provide an adequate substitute for
them."
Describing changes. in the American-
Soviet military balance, Senator Nunn
asserted that, "in the space of little more
than 15 years, the United States has
moved from a position of overall superi-
ority to a position that can best be charac-
terized as clinging parity."
In the area of strategic arms, he said,.
"the Soviet Union has eliminated the
decisive advantages we once enjoyed,
and appears to be embarked upon a drive
to obtain nuclear superiority."
In the realm of shorter-range, "tacti-
cal" nuclear weapons, the Senator said
that "the Soviets not only have erased a
longstanding NATO superiori ty, but are
Mr. Nunn, a member of the Armed ? developing forces with growing advan-
Services Committee, has emerged as one tages over those of NATO."
of the leading authorities in Congress on
military matters, and his views on the
emerging American-Soviet treaty to limit
offensive nuclear weapons are said to be
likely to influence how several senators
vote on the issue. As a result, the White
House is thought to be especially sensi-
tive to his concerns in negotiating the
final details of the agreement.
Approved For Release 2005/01/12 : CIA-RDP88-01315R000400380117-1