America Overly Preoccupied With Spy Scandal, Soviet Journalists Say

Soviet journalists told members of the American Society of Newspaper Editors in a satellite hookup Wednesday that Americans have become overly preoccupied with the spy scandal at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow.

Alexander Shalnev of the Soviet government newspaper Izvestia said every time the United States and the Soviet Union get together for meetings, “spy mania makes its appearance.”

He was part of a panel of Soviet journalists who spoke from Moscow in a “space bridge” satellite telecast to San Francisco for the opening session of the newspaper group’s annual convention.

The satellite telecast was moderated by Peter Jennings of ABC News and Vladimir Posner, a commentator on Soviet state television and radio.

Asked if Soviet journalists had conducted an investigation into the suspected security breach at the U.S. Embassy in Mosow, Shalnev replied: “I do not plan to investigate what happened there. I’ll leave that to you.”