‘SALT Dead,’ Speakes Says, Clarifying Reagan Remarks : Offer by Soviets Doesn’t Affect Policy on Treaty

A White House spokesman declared today that the SALT II treaty is dead even though President Reagan, disclosing a new Soviet offer to reduce nuclear weapons, said there is time to avert a stepped-up arms race before the U.S. bomber buildup exceeds limits set in the 1979 accord.

Reagan, in his televised news conference Wednesday night, was asked, “What’s to replace SALT at this point, and why make this decision now?”

“Didn’t make it now,” the President replied. “I said we’ve got several months here in which we’re going to try to involve (the Soviets) in the things they themselves have been talking about and that is a definite arms reduction program.”

But White House spokesman Larry Speakes, asked today about Reagan’s statement, said there has been no change since Reagan announced on May 27 that he would no longer be bound by the limits of the unratified treaty in view of Soviet violations.

Policy Stated

“The SALT treaty no longer exists,” Speakes said.

“If we take future actions in the area of arms control it will be for reasons other than the SALT agreement,” he said.

“The President has made it clear that he will take into account Soviet actions. Any decision based on how to compensate for Soviet actions will be based on what the Soviets do and not on SALT,” Speakes said.

The spokesman said he was stating the President’s policy and “stating it with his full approval,” although he said he had not talked to Reagan today.

Asked why Reagan made his news conference statement, Speakes said, “I don’t know.”

He also said, “There is nothing confusing about what I have said there this morning and these are the facts.”

President Criticizes Treaty

At the news conference, Reagan again condemned the 1979 treaty, the last major U.S.-Soviet arms control agreement, as “really nothing but the legitimizing of the arms race,” and said “it didn’t do anything to reduce nuclear weapons or the nuclear threat.”

He also declined to disclose details of the new Soviet proposal, which was presented to U.S. negotiators in Geneva, and said even if he scrapped the SALT II treaty toward the end of the year, “we’re not seeking to achieve superiority” over the Soviets.

The decision taken by Reagan last month sets the stage for the United States to exceed a key treaty provision with B-52 bombers equipped with cruise missiles in November or December. Several U.S. allies in Europe and American supporters of arms control in Congress have expressed concern the decision could touch off a new round of weapons competition.

But Reagan told reporters that in “these several months before that moment comes up,” the Soviets have time to replace SALT II “with a realistic program of arms reduction.”

He said the Soviets had been violating the restraints of the treaty since it was signed. If “nothing is done” in the months ahead, he said, “we’ll make the decision with regard to that plane.”

Reagan news conference, Page 18.