U.S. Protests to Kremlin on Expulsion of 5 Diplomats; Plans to Retaliate Soon

The Administration, angered by the expulsion of five American diplomats from the Soviet Union, has lodged a formal protest with the Kremlin and will retaliate soon, probably by expelling more Soviets from the United States, officials said Monday.

An official who spoke on the condition that he not be identified said the expected expulsion of Soviet diplomats could come today.

Another official said: “We are not going to dillydally.”

The U.S. deputy chief of mission in Moscow, Richard Combs, formally protested the Soviet action, and State Department spokesmen Charles Redman said it is “totally without justification and can’t help but have a detrimental effect on relations.”

Redman did not link the expulsion order of the five Americans with continuing post-Reykjavik summit contacts between U.S. and Soviet arms control negotiators. The Soviet action is the largest single mass expulsion of Americans from the Soviet Union.

A senior Administration official told reporters at the White House that although there will be “some detrimental effect,” the arms control talks can proceed on a separate track.

White House spokesman Larry Speakes rejected the Soviet contention that the five American diplomats were engaged in “improper activities” and described the Administration as “outraged and angered” by the Soviet action.