2 AGENCIES AT ODDS ON A SOVIET THREAT

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00965R000605100054-4
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: May 3, 2012
• Sequence Number: 54
• Publication Date: January 23, 1986
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

STAT
' Declassified in Part -Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/05/03 :CIA-RDP90-009658000605100054-4
WASHINGTON POST
23 January 1986
encies at Odds on a Soviet Threat
By Walter Pincus
Washington Post Staff Writer'
e Central Intelligence Agency
he CIA believes "there is less
( eta intention to use chemical
gress last year.
rding to testimony presented to
st NATO forces in Europe,
iintiate use of chemical weapons
ense over the Soviet threat to
grew" with the Department of
~pc~ns and, therefore, probably
Ibis of a threat," -Army Chief of
off Gen. John A. Wickham Jr. told
dosed session of the House Ap-
priations defense subcommittee
I~t March, according to testimony
:~cently made public.
~~ickham added that the intelli-
~-ice agency made its judgment
'~ looking at documents." The Ar-
~, he said, made its determination
Q~ the threat of Soviet use of chem-
teal weapons because "we believe
~e capability is there."
Last year, Rep. John Edward
l~rter (R-Il1J, a leading critic of the
administration's program to resume
production of chemical weapons,
arranged for two .classified C[A
briefings for members prior to
votes on the issue.
Agency analysts reported that
the Soviet military had cut back on
reliance on chemical weapons, one
source said, saying there was little
tactical advantage to be gained
from initiating use of chemicals
over conventional weapons if the
NATO forces had protective gear.
"We were overwhelmed on how
good it was for us," a House aide
opposed to the resumption of U.S.
production of chemical weapons
said yesterday of the C[A assess-
ment.
The C[A assessment was in con-
trast to the results of a.three-year,
X890,000 Pentagon-financed con-
tract designed to overcome con-
gressional opposition to building
chemical weapons. One of the
studies under the contract was by a
group of L1 retired admirals and
generals. [t found that the Soviet
chemical weapons "threat is seri-
ous, the potential for use is likely."
After three years of balking at an
administration request to resume
chemical weapons prodaction, the
E{ouse eventually compromised
with the Senate to permit produc-
tion of new chemical shells to begin
in 1987.
r\ new effort wilt be made this
year to reverse that decision,
Elouse and Senate critics of the pro-
gram said yesterday.
[n a related action, Sen. David H.
Pryor (D-Ark.), another opponent
of chemical weapons production.
yesterday called on Defense Sec-
retary Caspar 6V. Weinberger to
answer a series of questions on the
`890,000 contract.
('ryor asked why one $70,000
contract went to an outside consul-
tant to declassify the report by the
former officers. "ls there no em-
ploye on the Defense Department
payroll who could have performed
this relatively simple task at no ad-
ditional cost to the taxpayer?"
Declassified in Part -Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/05/03 :CIA-RDP90-009658000605100054-4