Key to Peace Is Strength, Reagan Says : Common Sense Called Vital to Summit Dialogue

President Reagan, mindful of the hard bargaining he will face with Soviet leader Mikhail S. Gorbachev at next week’s summit meeting, said Monday that “strength is a declaration that cannot be misunderstood.” In a Veterans Day speech to an audience of 6,000 at Arlington National Cemetery, Reagan declared, “The surest way to keep a peace going is to stay strong.”

And, he said, peace fails “when you forget to bring to the bargaining table God’s first intellectual gift to man: common sense.”

“Common sense gives us a realistic knowledge of human beings and how they think, how they live in the world, what motivates them. . . . Common sense can tell the difference between right--and wrong.”

‘Peace Process That Failed’

The President also reminded the nation of what is at stake when the leaders of the superpowers meet, saying that those who have died in war “were victims of a peace process that failed.”

After placing a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns, Reagan said, “A week from now, when I am some thousands of miles away, believe me, the memory and the importance of this day will be in the forefront of my mind and in my heart.”

While the President stressed reason as summit preparations headed into their final week, a new Defense Department report seemed likely to stir up further controversy over Soviet compliance with existing arms control agreements.

The report, prepared by Assistant Defense Secretary Richard N. Perle, will identify “new problem areas that have not been discussed before,” a Pentagon official said Monday.

Details Not Disclosed

This official stopped short of describing the problem areas as clear violations of arms control agreements. But he said they could be classed as “probable” or “possible” breaches, although he refused to disclose details.

Deputy White House Press Secretary Edward P. Djerejian said the report, scheduled to be sent to the White House as soon as today, will be “timely” because Reagan plans to raise the issue of compliance when he meets with Gorbachev in Geneva on Nov. 19-20.

But Djerejian added that Reagan will not decide what use he wishes to make of the report until he has a chance to study it.

The Pentagon official made it clear that disputes are continuing in the upper reaches of the government over the contents of the report and how it should be handled. The deadline for submission of the document is Friday, the day before Reagan leaves for Geneva.

“We’re still making sure everybody’s satisfied with it,” the official said, indicating that unanimity had not been achieved. He noted that government officials are “increasingly” in agreement, however.

Concern Over Atmosphere

Hard-liners within the Administration, including Perle, are openly suspicious of Soviet motives, especially on matters of arms control. But moderate Administration factions worry that the report could help chill the atmosphere at the summit, where the prospects of any concrete results are considered bleak.

Perle is scheduled to appear today before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, where he is sure to be questioned about Soviet compliance.

In his Veterans Day speech, President Reagan again signaled that he will not surrender the U.S. right to research his controversial “Star Wars” missile defense program.

Although Reagan did not specifically mention his Strategic Defense Initiative, as the “Star Wars” program is officially known, it continues to dominate pre-summit discussions and is considered by both sides to be the major obstacle to any arms agreement at the summit.

Meanwhile, in a letter to be delivered to the White House today, 367 American physicians urged Reagan and Gorbachev to turn the summit into a “landmark event” by agreeing to deep cuts in nuclear arsenals and the preservation of space for peaceful purposes.

Nobel Prize Winner

The doctors are members of the U.S. chapter of International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War, the group that was awarded the 1985 Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of its joint efforts with the Soviet medical community.

“On Nov. 19 in Geneva, you will have the opportunity to change the course of human history,” the letter states. “The world will long remember the leaders of two great nations who took an historic step back from the precipice.”

The Soviets are seeking a ban on space weapons and an agreement not to proceed with what they term the militarization of outer space. Administration officials, meanwhile, say they will not accept any prohibitions on research on “Star Wars” but that they are willing to discuss restraints during the program’s developmental and testing phases.

Because the two sides are so far apart, prospects are minimal for even a modest agreement in Geneva.

Perle’s report had been a key element in the effort to resolve disputes within the Administration over whether the United States would continue to abide by the terms of the unratified second strategic arms limitation treaty when the latest Trident submarine, the Alaska, began sea trials last summer.

Dismantling of Submarine

Reagan gave his approval to dismantling a Poseidon submarine, in compliance with the requirements of a treaty he has called “fatally flawed.” But he also asked the Pentagon to prepare the report of Soviet violations--and potential responses--by Nov. 15, setting the date before the summit conference had been agreed upon.

Meanwhile, Reagan is preparing for an address to the nation on arms control, probably Thursday evening, and is boning up for what officials expect will be a vigorous dialogue with Gorbachev.

Members of the entourage who accompanied Secretary of State George P. Shultz to Moscow for his talks with Gorbachev last week are briefing the President on what one calls “Gorbachev’s conversational style.”

One official said that the new Soviet leader comes across as hard-hitting and direct--even interrupting when he wants to make a point. He makes minimal reference to notes, unlike Reagan, who relies heavily on written “talking points.”

Reagan is said to be looking forward to grappling with his Soviet counterpart, however. As Michael K. Deaver, the former White House deputy chief of staff who is now in private business, has observed, “Ronald Reagan has been preparing for this summit for 25 years.”

Times staff writer Norman Kempster also contributed to this story.