U.S. to Replace Soviets at Embassy in Moscow : East Bloc Offices Also Will Get American Workers in Bid to Cut Intelligence Threats

In a security move, the State Department said today that “substantial” numbers of Soviet citizens working at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow will be replaced.

Some foreign nationals employed at U.S. embassies in Eastern Europe also will be replaced, but to a lesser extent, spokesman Charles Redman said.

He said the purpose was “to counter intelligence threats against our embassies abroad.”

Drivers, guards and mechanics are among the workers involved.

A total of 205 Soviet nationals work at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow and another 29 at the consulate in Leningrad, which also is affected by the move.

Redman said he did not know how many would be replaced there and in the embassies in Eastern Europe. But “in Moscow, it is substantial,” he said.

The State Department had been under pressure from some members of Congress to dismiss all nationals at the embassies and to replace them with U.S. citizens as a safeguard against espionage.

The department resisted, saying it could cause severe personnel problems and cost $17 million to $18 million.

No explanation was given for the apparent shift, although Redman stressed that not all nationals would be replaced. “These initiatives are guided by one simple standard,” the spokesman said. “Every action must be justified by a positive contribution to security.”

Routinely, Soviet and Eastern Bloc nationals are barred from jobs or situations where U.S. security might be compromised.

The Los Angeles Times reported Wednesday that President Reagan had signed a national security directive ordering the elimination of all nationals at the U.S. embassies in Moscow and the Eastern Bloc.

Redman said not all the nationals would be replaced, and that the reduction was initiated by the State Department.

“In some cases,” Redman said, “it may make sense. In other cases it may not enhance security by replacing them with more costly Americans.”