Toshiba Sales and the Soviets

On the recent letter to the editor (Aug. 7) from the Soviet information officer, Michael V. Nakoryakov, several points need to be made.

Congressional action against Toshiba was done for national security reasons. The Soviet Union spends millions each year in their attempts to steal western technology.

The message that Congress was sending was--”Businesses that sell out the West to the Soviet Union will not be allowed access to the U.S. market.”

In addition, Nakoryakov attempts to argue that this technology--9-axis propeller milling machines--had not aided the Soviets in quieting submarines put into service between 1981 and 1984. This statement is blatantly untrue.

Nakoryakov’s government seems to have misinformed him. The Soviets began their attempts to acquire this advanced technology in the 1970s. In fact, Toshiba admits to selling the Soviets this technology as early as 1974. A U.S. Department of Defense report estimates that the Soviets could have begun utilizing this technology in 1981.

Further, this technology was vitally important to Soviet efforts to quiet their submarines. Certainly, other parts of a submarine produce noise; however, the Soviet Union was way behind in technology allowing them to reduce cavitation.

Although they could have developed this technology on their own, by illegally acquiring the propeller milling machines they were able to save two important things--time and money.

Nakoryakov suggests that if the U.S. were really interested in our national security we would have agreed to Soviet proposals to shelve the Trident missile system. Again, Nakoryakov is misinformed. The U.S. Trident D-5 is in response to the Soviets’ overwhelming lead in ICBMs. Currently, the Soviet Union has, with its SS-18s, the capability to destroy U.S. hardened targets. The U.S. does not have this capability; however, with the addition of the Trident D-5 missile, we will finally level the playing field.

Nakoryakov also says the U.S. has remained silent on Soviet proposals to reduce naval forces. Not surprisingly, this is an untrue statement.

The U.S. has not remained silent; the U.S. has told the Soviet Union no thank you--we have our allies to protect in the region and we have our own national security to consider.

REP. DUNCAN HUNTER

R-Coronado

Washington, D.C.