Soviet Delegation Scoffs at Reagan Speech

Soviet citizens and officials scoffed Wednesday at President Reagan’s view of the superpowers, saying he once again offered only a “black and white” view of the world and suggested little hope for compromise.

The Soviets are among a delegation of 240 government, military and cultural officials involved in a six-day conference at the Chautauqua Institution. They watched by satellite as Reagan delivered a speech on superpower relations to a Los Angeles civic organization.

The President, speaking to the Town Hall of California, traced superpower relations from the end of World War II.

“Our goal,” Reagan said, “has been to break the deadlock of the past, to seek a forward strategy, a forward strategy for world peace.”

The official Tass news agency said the speech was a throwback to Cold War rhetoric.

“I was expecting something different, maybe I shouldn’t have been,” said Vladimir Posner, the well-known Soviet commentator seen frequently on American network television. “I did not see a window of opportunity in that speech.

“It was billed as a major speech. To me the most disappointing thing was where do we go from there? I saw no indication of where we go. There was nothing new.

“Without any nuances,” he added, “it was black and white.”