Reagan Sides With Shultz, Delays Decision on ABMs : Pentagon Wants ‘Star Wars’ Steps

President Reagan will delay indefinitely any decision on the Pentagon’s recommendation that he adopt a broader interpretation of the 1972 ABM Treaty to allow for accelerated testing of a space-based missile defense system, according to Administration and congressional sources.

Reagan is understood to have been persuaded by Secretary of State George P. Shultz that he does not need to make the decision now and should postpone it until State Department officials have had an opportunity to consult with members of Congress and allied leaders who are expected to oppose it. In the meantime, the State Department has agreed to undertake a study of the legal issues involved.

At the same time, sources added that Defense Secretary Caspar W. Weinberger will continue to press for a broader interpretation of the ABM Treaty and they predicted that the President will eventually be forced to accept the Pentagon’s recommendation to placate his conservative supporters.

Right-Wing Pressure

“Pressure from the right wing will eventually push them into it,” said one knowledgeable source on Capitol Hill.

Conservatives are anxious for the Administration to adopt a strategy for deploying an early version of the space-based defense system, the Strategic Defense Initiative that is commonly called “Star Wars,” by the mid-1990s. But such a strategy would require testing of some systems that would violate the United States’ currently held, narrow interpretation of the ABM Treaty.

Although a broader interpretation was unveiled by Administration officials in 1985, the President declined to embrace it as U.S. policy. Proponents of the broader interpretation contend that it is based on a review of the negotiating record.

Meeting Next Tuesday

The President, who discussed the issue with his advisers last week, has scheduled another meeting on the subject for next Tuesday. Although conservatives still hope to reverse the President’s decision to delay, White House and congressional sources said it is unlikely that he will adopt the broader interpretation until the State Department’s study has been completed.

The study by Abraham D. Sofaer, the State Department’s legal adviser, is viewed by members of Congress as a stalling tactic by Shultz, who has argued that there is no reason for the President to make a decision on the ABM issue until research on “Star Wars” technology is actually being stymied by the narrower interpretation. Shultz told Congress earlier this week that he does not think a decision is necessary in 1987.

State Department sources said that Sofaer’s study will take at least five or six months to complete. Supporters of the Pentagon’s recommendation such as Atty. Gen. Edwin Meese III are known to be pressing for a swifter review to be completed within a month.