The World - News from Oct. 19, 1986

The Soviet Union has told U.S. officials it is prepared to allow some research and testing of the “Star Wars” defense system outside the laboratory, the New York Times reported. Quoting unnamed U.S. officials, the paper said the Soviet overtures have come since the Iceland summit last week and suggest that the Soviet attitude on limiting the Strategic Defense Initiative may not be as hard-lined as it first appeared. But questions remain as to what types of tests could be conducted and on the interpretation of the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty limiting research and testing of space-based defenses, the paper said. It quoted State Department spokesman Charles Redman as saying the U.S. would seek to clarify the questions at the Geneva arms talks.