Senate Heeds Reagan Veto, OKs Saudi Arms by 1 Vote : $265 Million Sale Will Go Through

The Senate voted by the narrowest of margins today to let President Reagan sell missiles to Saudi Arabia, refusing to overturn his veto of a measure that would have blocked the deal.

The Senate voted 66 to 34 to override Reagan’s veto, one vote short of the 67 that would have provided the two-thirds margin needed to override the veto.

Forty-two Democrats and 24 Republicans voted to override, while 29 Republicans and five Democrats stood with the President.

The Republican-controlled Senate had voted 73 to 22 last month to join the House in blocking the sale, but Reagan vetoed the disapproval resolution and lobbied hard to turn around enough votes to sustain his veto, picking up the support of 12 senators.

After the vote, Reagan said in a brief written statement that the action “confirms America’s commitment to a security relationship that has served both the United States and Saudi Arabia well over the past 40 years. We are determined to work with the Saudis and other friendly states to achieve our shared goal of peace and stability in the region.”

‘Didn’t Know About 34th’

Sen. Richard G. Lugar (R-Ind.), chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, said: “We knew going in we had 33 votes. We didn’t know about the 34th.”

That 34th vote was provided by Sen. William L. Armstrong (R-Colo.), who voted against the sale last month. “He was the 34th vote,” Lugar said. “We had great hopes for him but we didn’t know until the last minute.”

Sen. Alan Cranston (D-Calif.), leader of the opposition to the sale, claimed a victory because, he said, “the Saudis only got 10% of what they originally wanted.”

The $265-million package includes Sidewinder air-to-air missiles and Harpoon anti-ship missiles. The Administration dropped $89 million worth of Stinger anti-aircraft missiles from the package after opponents said the shoulder-fired weapons might fall into the hands of terrorists.

It was the second time that the Saudi arms package had been reduced. The desert kingdom last year originally wanted $1.1 billion worth of weapons, but the deal was trimmed to $354 million worth of missiles after several legislators warned that the larger package faced strong opposition.

Both Houses Had Opposed

Both the Senate and the Democratic-run House voted by overwhelming margins a month ago to block the sale, but for the sale to have been blocked, both chambers would have had to vote by two-thirds margins to override the veto.

The debate opened today with an announcement by Sen. J. James Exon (D-Neb.) that he had switched his position from last month’s opposition and would support Reagan.

“The security interests of the United States rest with sustaining the veto,” Exon said. “Today we have the leader of the Free World laying his prestige on the line. That makes it a considerably different situation” than it was last month.

Cranston told his colleagues, “We believe it ill serves America to sell our most advanced weapons to nations which consistently thwart our fundamental national interests.”

Goldwater’s Protest

But Lugar said the sale needs to go ahead if the United States wants to be “an effective player” in efforts to broker an Arab-Israeli peace treaty.

Sen. Barry Goldwater (R-Ariz.), who backed Reagan in the vote, said he rose in protest that members of the Senate were under pressure “of other countries to persuade us to vote against our commander in chief and our President.

“I think it is wrong,” Goldwater said. “I think we are making a mistake.

“I hope this is the last time we are subject to the intense pressure, money and threats of another country.”