White House Hawks Rule U.S. Arms Policy, Gorbachev Says

Soviet leader Mikhail S. Gorbachev accused President Reagan on Wednesday of being unable or unwilling to control hawks in his Administration who oppose an arms control accord.

“Either the President is unable to cope with his entourage, which literally breathes hatred for the Soviet Union and for everything that may lead international affairs into a calm channel, or he himself wants that,” Gorbachev said in a nationally televised speech, his second since the Oct. 11-12 summit in Reykjavik, Iceland.

He blamed “military circles” in the Reagan Administration for trying to prevent any progress toward arms control accord. “There is no bridling the hawks in the White House,” the Soviet leader added. “And this is very dangerous.”

Reagan’s Strategic Defense Initiative, Gorbachev asserted, “shows the desire of the U.S. to move the arms race into space and win military superiority.” The SDI missile defense program, commonly called “Star Wars,” has become the chief obstacle to a nuclear arms control agreement that was within reach in Iceland, he said.

The Kremlin chief also charged that Reagan had distorted the results of their summit meeting to gain political advantage, citing several examples.

Complete Elimination

“It is alleged, for example, that during the past meeting the U.S. President did not agree to the Soviet proposal on a complete elimination of all strategic offensive arms of the Soviet Union and the United States by 1996, and that a single point of view on our proposal was not achieved,” Gorbachev said.

“With all responsibility as a participant in the talks, I state: The President did, albeit without special enthusiasm, consent to the elimination of all--I emphasize all, not only certain individual, strategic offensive arms to be destroyed precisely over 10 years, in two stages.”

The initial U.S. press reports from Reykjavik said that Reagan and Gorbachev had nearly agreed to slash ballistic missiles and other offensive weapons by 50% in five years and eliminate them all in 10 years. But, after criticism of this stance by arms control specialists, White House spokesman Larry Speakes said last Friday that the President had never agreed to eliminate all offensive weapons.

White House chief of staff Donald T. Regan, in a TV appearance Sunday, said the two leaders had discussed the issue because Gorbachev raised it. But they never approached agreement, Regan said, because Gorbachev insisted on putting strict limits on the U.S. Strategic Defense Initiative--which spiked any accord.

Reagan Proposal

Gorbachev, in his speech, said Reagan once proposed during their meeting that the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty be repealed. Reagan urged that the treaty, which puts limits on missile defenses, should not be regarded as “gospel” by the Soviet side, Gorbachev said.

“What, then, should one’s attitude to treaties be like?” asked Gorbachev. “Should they be treated like a piece of paper?”

Recalling the episode, Gorbachev added, “Let me put it frankly, I was very much surprised.”

Gorbachev also said the Soviet package proposal for big cuts in offensive nuclear arms, elimination of medium-range missiles in Europe and limiting testing of SDI technology to the laboratory was still on the table. But he reiterated that he would not accept a piecemeal approach to arms control and would not budge from his opposition to SDI.

“No package--no concessions,” Gorbachev added, confirming Soviet opposition to separate agreements on so-called Euromissiles. Western European countries, as recently as Wednesday, have reminded Gorbachev of his previous pledge not to link elimination of the mid-range missiles from Europe with “Star Wars.”

For Local Consumption

Gorbachev’s address, which seemed designed mainly for the Soviet audience, said Reykjavik was testing the value of statements by political figures.

“So much has been said of the need for getting rid of the nuclear nightmare, and of how easy it will be to breathe in a nuclear-free world,” he said.