Wilson Backs INF Treaty Amid Chiding by McCarthy

Sen. Pete Wilson on Monday endorsed the Intermediate Nuclear Forces Treaty with the Soviet Union but only after his reticence on the arms control agreement had become an issue in his reelection campaign.

“I am satisfied that on balance, the treaty is a good thing,” Wilson said, praising it on three grounds.

He pointed out that it is the first treaty to reduce, and not just “manage,” offensive weapons. He said it requires the Soviets to give up more weaponry than the United States. In addition, he said it is the first time in history that both sides have agreed to on-site inspections of nuclear weapons.

At the same time, Wilson spoke of the treaty as a “modest” achievement that offers less protection than meets the eye. For example, he said “all European targets now threatened by Soviet SS-20s (to be removed under the treaty) can be retargeted by longer-range Soviet strategic weapons.”

But Wilson said the treaty, which eliminates medium-range nuclear missiles in Europe and the United States, can be clarified and improved by the Senate without jeopardizing its passage.

He then pointed to a couple of areas where he said changes should be made:

“It is necessary to have a clear understanding of our right to modernize and develop any new technology not specifically prohibited by the treaty.”

Another gap in the language of the treaty, he said, allows the Soviets to build missiles that can be used as intermediate-range weapons, but which are classified as long-range missiles.

Under Attack

A member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, which is responsible for studying the treaty, Republican Wilson has been under attack by his Democratic opponent, Lt. Gov. Leo T. McCarthy, for not coming out in favor of the treaty much earlier.

In televised campaign commercials and in campaign mailings, McCarthy argued that Wilson was reluctant to endorse the treaty for fear of antagonizing both the Republican right-wing and California-based defense contractors who have contributed generously to Wilson in the past.

Wilson scoffed at that criticism Monday, asserting that it was his duty as a member of the Armed Services Committee to make a careful study of the treaty. He dismissed McCarthy’s criticism as “a cheap shot” by someone who knows “next to nothing” about the merits of the treaty.

“We are happy that Sen. Wilson has finally come around to support this important treaty with the Soviet Union, and that he has joined the leadership of Alan Cranston and Leo McCarthy,” McCarthy campaign consultant Kam Kuwata said Monday. “But we expect senators in California to become leaders on the issue of peace and not followers. Wilson will become the 82nd member of the Senate to call for ratification, and we feel California deserves better.”

Earlier Monday, Wilson spoke to the California Sheriff’s Assn. in San Luis Obispo and said he is in favor of a proposed ballot initiative, backed by the group, that would require AIDS testing for people who are defendants in rape cases, who are the beneficiaries of mouth-to-mouth resuscitation by law enforcement officers or firefighters or who are accused of biting law officers. The measure is being sponsored by Los Angeles County Sheriff Sherman Block.