SOVIET REPORTED ACTING TO BEGIN NEW ATOM TESTS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00965R000302430020-1
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 21, 2012
• Sequence Number: 20
• Publication Date: March 18, 1986
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

STAT
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/09/21 : CIA-RDP90-00965R000302430020-1
ARTICLE APV.15
ON PAGE
NEW YORK TIMES
18 March 1986
Soviet Reported
Acting to Begin
New Atom Tests
By MICHAEL R. GORDON
Special to The New York Times
WASHINGTON, March 17 ? The
Soviet Union has started preparations
for the possible resumption of nuclear
weapons testing, Reagan Administra-
tion officials said today.
Satellite reconnaissance photo-
graphs show the Soviet Union has been
digging holes and tunnels in which nu-
ear e loaives can be ? laced and
moving monitoring equipment into a
test area. according to Administration
experts who have reviewed classified,
United States intelligence reports.
The Soviet Union announced a mora- ,
torium on underground tests on July 30, ,
1985, several days after it conducted,
such a test. The moratorium initially ,
was to last through the end of the year.,
Mikhail S. Gorbachev, the Soviet lead-
er, later extended the moratorium
through March. Most recently, he said
the Soviet Union would continue the
moratorium until the United States
conducted its next nuclear test.
Longtime Preparations Cited
"They have been involved in making
preparations for follow-on testing from
the very beginning," of the moratori-
um, one Administration official as-
serted today.
The Soviet Union has not held any
tests since July. The United States,
which declined to. join the moratorium,
held its most recent announced test in
December.
An Administration official said today
that the United States testing schedule
had been adjusted to give the Soviet
Union time to consider the United
States proposal to visit a test site.
"There are no technical problems in
the program," the official said. "There
are political motivations in that we
would like to keep the atmosphere con-
ducive for a possible favorable Soviet
response."
In recent years, the United States
has held tests earlier in the year.
President Reagan has invited Soviet
observers to a test planned for the third
week of April.
Explanadond of Move Vary
American Government experts. of-
fered several explanations for the
Soviet test prepamtinn.s. r
One said the Soviet actions could be
Interpreted as a prudent hedge against
the likelihood that the Reagan Admin-
istration would continue to reject the
Soviet-proposed ban on testing.
One said the Soviet actions could be
Interpreted as a prudent measure
taken with the expectation that the
Reagan Administration Would continue
to reject the Soviet proposal on testing.
"You could interpret it as an indica-
tion.that they do not anticipate that we,
will join them," one expert said.
Another official said the planning
suggested the Soviet moratorium was a
public relations gesture and not a seri-
ous proposal.
"It says to me that they regard test-
ing as a continuing requirement," said!
one official. "They know we won't stop
testing. They want testing to go on and
to pin the blame on us.'
Government officials also offered
different assessements of how long it
would take the Soviet Union to finish,
the preparations. One said it would
take another two to three weeks.
Another official said the Soviet Union
could complete preparations within
two weeks if a special effort was made
to speed up the work.
In recent years, the Soviet Union has
conducted about 24 nuclear explosions
annually, about 14 of which were usu-
ally underground weapons tests, ac-
cording to a recent study by the Natu-
ral Resources Defense Council. The
rest of the explosions are considered to
be peaceful ones used for construction'
tig:se:ndy is a report by a variety of
scientific institutions and declassified
United States Government documents.
Under American policy, not all
Soviet and United States tests are dis-
closed.
In recent years, the Soviet Union and I
the United States have argued often1
about nuclear tests.
The Soviet Union has called on the
United States to stop testing and to
ratify two 1970's treaties that limit the
size of underground nuclear explo-
sions, the only kind permitted.
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/09/21 : CIA-RDP90-00965R000302430020-1