Democrats to Flex Muscles on Arms Issues in 1987, Aspin Says

Denouncing the Reagan Administration’s performance at the Reykjavik summit, Rep. Les Aspin (D-Wis.), chairman of the powerful House Armed Services Committee, served notice Friday that congressional Democrats will become even more assertive in arms control next year because they feel President Reagan “can’t bring home the bacon after six years in office.”

The congressman, referring to Reagan as the “outgoing President,” attacked the Administration’s preparations for last month’s Iceland summit as “slipshod” and its performance there as “fundamentally flawed.” He said that U.S. allies, as well as Congress, were “aghast at the casual way” Reagan made far-reaching arms control proposals that were not examined by the Joint Chiefs of Staff and other experts.

In the opening session of committee hearings on the summit, Aspin said he was particularly “flabbergasted” at the President’s offer to Soviet leader Mikhail S. Gorbachev to eliminate all ballistic missiles within 10 years. He was also highly critical of Reagan for waiting so long to ask the joint chiefs and other federal agencies for their view of the consequences of that proposal. The Times reported in Friday’s editions that Reagan ordered such a study early this month.

Richard N. Perle, assistant secretary of defense and an expert on arms issues, denied Aspin’s charges and endorsed the Reykjavik results, which he has said would provide a “solid foundation” for an eventual arms agreement.

Heated Exchanges

In one of several heated exchanges, Perle particularly applauded the President’s refusal to trade major Soviet concessions on offensive arms for curbs on the Administration’s anti-missile program, called the Strategic Defense Initiative and popularly known as “Star Wars.”

“Ronald Reagan could have walked out with an agreement that would have been cheered by millions and won him the Nobel (Peace) Prize,” Perle said.

“If he’d said yes,” Aspin shot back, “he’d have been impeached, there would have been a revolt by our allies and mass resignations from his Cabinet.”

Perle, defending Reagan and the Administration team against Aspin’s complaint of “ad hockery” in their arms control proposals, said that, “if you want to do something new and innovative, you can’t always do detailed analysis” first.

He also charged Congress with intruding deeply into arms control issues throughout the Reagan Administration with “gratuitous resolutions” calling for test bans and nuclear freezes instead of helping to fund military programs that Perle said would induce the Soviets to bargain seriously about arms control.

Aspin, however, suggested that the U.S. proposals at Reykjavik will lead Congress to be increasingly reluctant to appropriate funds for new strategic missiles, like the MX land-based and D-5 submarine-based intercontinental weapons.

Another committee member, Rep. John M. Spratt Jr. (D-S.C.), said support for the SDI program may diminish if the President persists in his offer to transfer or sell the technological results of space defense research.