U.S. STUDIES SHIFT IN STAND AT STRATEGIC ARMS TALKS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00806R000201040005-9
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 16, 2011
• Sequence Number: 5
• Publication Date: April 30, 1983
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/09/16: CIA-RDP90-00806R000201040005-9
ARTICLE APPEAR
ON PAGE -'"
NEW YORK TIMES
30 APRIL, 1983
(U.S. Studies Shift in Stand at
'Strategic Arms Talks
Special to meNew York T1mee
WASHINGTON, April 29 - An inter-
agency working group ns considering
revisions of the Administration's strate-
gic arms proposal that could narrow
differences with the Soviet position and
lead to the development of a new single-
warhead missile, Administration offi-
cials said today'-
The United States originally proposed
restricting each side to 850 interconti-
nental missiles on land and sea. Two of-
ficials said the Working group was con-
sidering raising or abandoning the
limit. ...?-..,
A White House official said the dis-
cussions so fart had been strictly at the
working level of the State Department,
Pentagon, the 13rms Control and Disar-
mament Agent:y, Central Intelligence
Agency and th? National Security Coun-
cil staff. I
The Administration is being pressed
to change its position by Congressional
Democrats who-have made their sup-
port of the President's proposal to de-
l ploy 100 MX missiles contingent on a
shift in the American position away
from multiwarhead missiles to single-
warhead missiles.
The Soviet Position
That major change in direction was
recommended by the President's Com-
mission on Strategic Forces, whose re-
port was adopted by President Reagan
this month. Independently, some Ad-
ministration arms specialists saw an
opportunity to bridge differences with
the Soviet Union when strategic arms
negotiations resume in Geneva on June
8 after a recess.
Yuri V. Andropov, the Soviet Commu-
nist Party leader, has said that Moscow
favors a reduction of 25 percent in mis-
sile launchers. That would mean reduc-
ing the current Soviet total from 2,400
missiles on land and in submarines to
1,800 while permitting the United States
to keep its present total of 1,700 mis-
siles.
Soviet arms negotiators are under-
stood to have objected vigorously to the
Reagan Administration's proposal to
lower this limit to 850 deployed missiles
for each side because this would force a
tar more drastic restructuring of the
Soviet nuclear arsenal than of the
American arsenal.
Consequently, some American offi-
cials believe a higher American limit
would appeal to the Kremlin. But they
are uncertain how Moscow would react
if the United States proposed abandon-
ing all limits on deployed missiles or
setting a very high number. The idea is
not only for this co~ to move toward
single-warhead es but to per-
suade Moscow to follow suit on the
ground that both countries would be
more secure with more such missiles
than they are now with so many war-
heads concentrated on relatively few
missiles.
There is a consensus in the Adminis-
tration that the gravest threat is posed
not by the number of missiles but the
number of warheads they carry. As
Moscow has put 4, 6 and 10 warheads on
a single missile, American planners
have seen the threat to American land-
based missiles grow.
A New Missile
Consequently, the President's com-
mission, pro-arms control members of
Congress and many Administration of-
ficials have become convinced that the
wisest course is to develop a new single.
warhead missile and deploy many of
them. That would not be possible under
the Administration's current arms pro-
posal. Hence the need for revisions.
Officials say the Administration is
still intent upon its proposals to reduce
the number of nuclear warheads on
land- and sea--based missiles to 5,000
from 7,500 and to reduce the total throw
weight, or payload, of each side to a fig
ure below the current American level.
At present, the United States estimates
the total Soviet throw weight at over 12
million pounds to 3.9 million pounds for
the United States. Early indications are
that most officials favor staying with
the current warhead and throw weight
positions.
Defense Department officials are re-
portedly reluctant to change the Ameri-
can negotiating ' posture soon because
they want more time for research and
development of the smaller and more
accurate single-warhead missile that
could be deployed in a way that would
foil or withstand Soviet attack. The mis-
sile is still only a concept on paper, ac-
cording r
to Congressional testimony by
Defense Secretary Caspar W. Weinber-
ger.
STAT
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/09/16: CIA-RDP90-00806R000201040005-9