Tass Report Was Just Glasnost, Soviets Say
The Soviets broke one of the ground rules for the visit of Secretary of State George P. Shultz early Wednesday morning when Tass, the official Soviet news agency, disclosed much of the substance of the ongoing talks, a senior Administration official said later in the day.
The two sides had agreed in advance to keep the substance of the talks confidential until the three-day visit ended.
But there was no remorse, or even embarrassment, on the part of Soviet Foreign Minister Eduard A. Shevardnadze when asked about the breach as he waited with reporters for the arrival of Shultz for their final meeting.
“What did we reveal?” he demanded brashly. “We revealed nothing in particular.”
But all of the new Soviet proposals were disclosed, it was pointed out.
“Why not?” he rejoined. “What’s so bad about that? This is glasnost, public openness.”
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