U.S. to Honor Terms of SALT II Pact After It Expires on Dec. 31

The United States will continue abiding by terms of the unratified SALT II nuclear arms treaty after it expires Dec. 31, it was announced today.

“The policy stays in place,” said presidential spokesman Larry Speakes.

“Our position on SALT II is that we have indicated that we will live under the agreements of SALT II and not violate them,” Speakes added. “And until we say differently, the policy remains the same.”

The treaty, denounced by Reagan in the 1980 presidential campaign as “fatally flawed” and never formally ratified by the Senate, puts limits on long-range bombers, missile-firing submarines and land-based missiles.

Soviet Violations Charged

The Pentagon charges the Soviet Union has repeatedly violated the treaty.

In March, Reagan will have to decide how to respond when a new Trident submarine, the Nevada, begins sea trials, forcing a choice between either exceeding SALT II limits or dismantling existing missile systems, such as two Poseidon submarines.

Speakes’ statement came as Reagan today submitted a written report to Congress saying that the Soviet Union has scored military gains by violating a variety of treaties governing nuclear, chemical and biological weapons.

The President said a new U.S. analysis supports an earlier conclusion that there is a pattern of Soviet non-compliance with arms control agreements.

“Through its non-compliance, the Soviet Union has made military gains in the areas of strategic offensive arms as well as chemical, biological and toxin weapons,” the President said.

9 Charges of Violations

The report accuses the Soviets of treaty violations in nine cases. All but one have been raised in earlier reports.

The one new charge accuses the Soviets of concealing “the association” between intercontinental ballistic missiles and launchers during testing.

“These deliberate Soviet concealment activities impede our ability to know whether a type of missile is in compliance with SALT II requirements,” Reagan said. “They could also make it more difficult for the United States to assess accurately the critical parameters of any future missile.”

While some of the violations do not appear to have major military significance, the President said, they might become important “if . . . they are permitted to become precedents for future, more threatening, violations.”

But the President also noted: “In a fundamental sense, all deliberate Soviet violations are equally important. As violations of legal obligations or political commitments, they cause grave concern regarding Soviet commitment to arms control and they darken the atmosphere in which current negotiations are being conducted.”

Missile Tests Expected

The report said the Soviets are building new missile silos at two test sites, indicating that Moscow may be getting ready to flight test new SSX-26 and SSX-27 intercontinental ballistic missiles.

Some of the other alleged violations:

--The report repeats charges that a Soviet radar being built in central Siberia violates the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, and that Moscow is violating a provision of the SALT II treaty by testing and deploying the SS-25 missile.

--The United States has information that the Soviets are expanding their knowledge of chemical and toxin weapons in violation of treaties.

--The Soviets have “probably” exceeded the 150-kiloton limit on underground nuclear tests.