PRESIDENT SAYS SALT CAN BE 'ADEQUATELY VERIFIED'

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP88-01315R000400380118-0
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: December 8, 2004
• Sequence Number: 118
• Publication Date: May 1, 1979
• Content Type: NSPR

Approved For RTHE e 0A0ff?Ilkt2,- fi1j~-F 8 01315R000
Article appeared 1 May 1979
on page A-1,15
reent -Sas es' . SALT Can Be ` n Adequately
a
Says Cheating. Would Risk Confrontation
By John M. Goshko .
washinaton POat Staff WLiter
President Carter, asserting that a
strategic arms limitation treaty
(SALT) can be "adequately verified,"
said. yesterday.--..the- Soviet----Union
knows that cheating could ruin its
'good relations }with. the United States
and "escalate into a nuclear confron-
tation. ' #
Defending hadministration's
move toward a SALT.-11 agreement
with Moscow,' the' president said at a
press conferepce:
"If. the only, purpose of the Soviet
Union in the long,. tedious' negotia
tions of a SALT treaty is to have ?
document.that they can violate ."At
would make .'our. problem much
worse.
"But," he added, "there is. an ele
m.ent of rationality and stability be-
cause the Soviets know that it we eves
detect any violation of the SALT
agreement, that that would be a basis
on which to reject the treaty in its en-
tirety; there would be a. possible ter
mination of the good relationships bt
tween our country and the Soviet Un-
ion?unwhich detente is~ based, and it
might very well escalate into a nu-
clear confrontation."-
Agreement'on. SALT Il is expected
within the next few-days, and itis ex-
pected to be signed shortly attertvarci
at a summit meeting of Carter-and So-
viet President Leonid I. Brezhnev.
But the treaty then-faces a difficult
battle for approval by the -Senate.
When, Carter was' asked yesterday
.about reports that thee United States
would need. from`.one to four years to
be able to fully verify Soviet, comp'_i
ance -with. its. restrictions,' he grasped
.the opportunity to make a- new sales
pitch for the agreement.
The president conceded that lle-,
fense?:,Secretary Harold 'Brown ..had
said it would take a year to compen-
sate for the los& of U.S. monitoring
posts in Iran. But he noted that Brown
also said that; even, with diminished
U.S. intelligence resources, the treaty
could be adequately, verified from the
day it is signed.
"There is no doubt in my mind that',
this is the case," 'Carter said. He re-
peated his` pledge.'that he will "not'
sign nor present to the Congress nor
to the :American people Any : treaty
which in my opirUon could not be ade-
quately verified Prom; the first day it
is.effectve.'.'
He admitted- that-.:there :are limita-
tions on what the -United States can
learn. about Soviet missiles. Still, lie
insisted, "for the Soviets to develop
any kind of significant new missile,
they would have to have 20 to 50 test.
launchings. And, during that' process,
there is, every likelihood, that we
would be able to detedt any violation,j
of the SALT treaty.
Aithough.? Carter said, -he `believes
the accord will win Senate apProv;al,
he declared ,that if it is rejected he
would still try to abide by` its terms,
in order to avoid a new arms race.
"It would certainly not be proper;
for me if the treaty were not ratified
to immediately launch our country.
into a massive ? nuclear arms -race,"
Carter said. "The constraints placed l
on me and the Soviet Union, moni-i
Cored very- carefully by each other,
would be a basis on which, to con-
strain ourselves and -to avoid a nu-
clear confrontation in the. absence of
a treaty.
The? president also ? denied specula-
tion that he might delay the treaty un-
til -election: year 1980 to put= extra-
political; pressure on the Senate. He
said: d
"No one 'has ever seriously consid-
y
ered in my administration, to'-.-in
knowledge,.. any,. slightest :, de,lay inn con-
cluding- the SALT. treaty,.;for,, political
purposes;'' or 'any' :other-, :purpose::.. 'My
understand ing is-that, if itcan,beacon
eluded fairly early that it.-wiiI:'be con,
sidered:as -a very -top priority-by the
Senate; and:. the actionsby"the `Senate;
will lie concluded--this- year.":.r~ -
On 'another` -question' of 'iup66o 'wet
relations;, Carter".-"said' , he. 'favors . ex
tending 'most favored- nation" tariff
status-to both the Soviet ?Union and
China "if it can be done in compliance
with existing law,"
: ;That -was a ?referenee to four-year I
old legislation that ties. preferential
trade status for ' certain communist
countries, particularly the Soviet:Un
ion,.,to relaxation of emigration, poli
ties for Jews. There recently has been
a big rise in emigration by Soviet
Jews, and the administration is- ex.
ploring the chances, of, getting Con=
gress to approve preferred status for
the Soviet Union ? under the laws
waiver provisions"%
Asked. about the possibility of fur=`
ther. prisoner exchanges such, .aslast
week's trade of, five Soviet dissidents
for two Russians held-: here on espio-
:Wage charges;.the; president said: "We,
have not forgotten any human' rights
activist in the Soviet Union -who is be.':
ing punished.or.imprisoned '
put forward. names and we would as-,-
sess those ,names 'and repeatedly re-
ject them because we did not think
they were adequate." "
On. another foreign policy question,'
l' raeli settlements , in the-occupied
-Acknowledging : a .continuing dispute
over new settlements, Carter-said; ."I'
severely-rgstrain,..any inclination ei--~
-ther approved by~the Knesset or done..
'without legal..sanctiQn,,in establishing;:
on a sovereign ;nation
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