Says Its Nuclear Test Ban Would Hinder Arms Control Talks : Reagan Assails House Defense Bill

President Reagan Tuesday renewed his threats to veto a defense budget bill that he said would play into Soviet hands and “pull the rug out from under” American arms control negotiators in Geneva.

Reagan called a House provision to ban nuclear testing “a back door to a nuclear freeze” that would take away the incentive for deep cuts in U.S. and Soviet arsenals and make genuine arms reduction “almost impossible.”

Uses Strong Language

In strong language, Reagan assailed the Democratic-controlled House for the measure, warning that it would bolster Moscow’s “major propaganda campaign to get us to declare a moratorium on nuclear testing.”

“Some congressmen seem to believe that peace and American weakness mean the same thing,” he told a group of supporters at the White House. “Didn’t it ever occur to anyone what the Soviets must be thinking? They’re thinking, if (they) wait long enough . . . we will do their work for them.”

Reagan opposes the House version of the defense budget for many reasons. It slashes spending for the so-called “Star Wars” space-based missile defense to $3.1 billion, down from the $5.3 billion requested by the Administration, and it forces him to stay within the weapons ceilings set by the strategic arms limitation treaty of 1979 by denying funds for modernization that would put the United States in violation of the unratified treaty.

But Reagan is especially irritated by the provision banning nuclear testing. The Administration has been under considerable public pressure to explain its opposition to a test ban in the wake of repeated Soviet calls for a moratorium on all nuclear testing. Public opinion polls show that a majority of Americans favor a ban as a first step toward the reduction and eventual elimination of nuclear weapons.

‘I’ll Veto It’

“All of this is bad for our national security and for arms reduction talks,” Reagan said. “And, if the defense budget arrives on my desk looking anything like that, I’ll veto it.”

A House-Senate conference committee is working to resolve differences between the House bill and a Senate bill that is more to the Administration’s liking.

The Administration says the threat of its “Star Wars” program and its defense buildup have led to recent progress in arms control talks in Geneva. “At the arms reduction table, they now appear to treat meetings as more than just another propaganda forum,” Reagan said. “The Soviets have been convinced that we are serious about rebuilding our strength.”

Reagan believes that defense cutbacks at this particular juncture would undermine the U.S. bargaining position in Geneva and make an arms control agreement even more difficult to achieve. The House bill calls for $287 billion in defense spending for fiscal 1987, a level that is about the same as the current Pentagon budget. The Senate version calls for about $295 billion. Both are considerably less than the $320 billion the Administration originally had sought.

Testing Called Essential

In explaining his opposition to a nuclear test ban, Reagan said that testing is essential if only to be sure weapons work. He cited the discovery some time ago that the safety mechanism for the warhead of the Polaris missile would not release. “Without the testing that helped us fix that, most of our sea-based deterrent would have been ineffective,” he said.

He said testing is also needed to improve the effectiveness of U.S. nuclear forces and to stay ahead of the Soviets.