Soviets Apologize for Death of U.S. Army Officer in ’85

The defense minister of the Soviet Union has extended an apology to the United States for the March, 1985, shooting death of an American Army officer inside East Germany but offered no financial compensation, the Pentagon said today.

The apology from Defense Minister Dmitri Yazov was offered to Defense Secretary Frank C. Carlucci during a private meeting between the two men during the Moscow summit, said Dan Howard, the Pentagon’s chief spokesman.

Howard disclosed the Yazov apology during a regular Pentagon briefing--the first to be held since Carlucci returned from a round-the-world trip that included stops in Moscow, Japan and South Korea.

Howard said he did not disclose the apology at the close of the summit meeting between President Reagan and Mikhail S. Gorbachev because no reporters asked about the matter.

Carlucci requested an apology for the shooting of Maj. Arthur D. Nicholson Jr. during his first private meeting with his Soviet counterpart last March. At the time, Yazov promised only to look into the matter.

Asked today whether Yazov had ever responded, Howard said:

“During the course of a (private) meeting (in Moscow), the minister expressed his regret.”

Howard then quoted Yazov as saying:

“I expressed my regret over the incident and I’m sorry that this occurred. This does not promote improved relations. Secretary Carlucci and I have agreed we will do all we can to prevent these kinds of incidents in the future.”

The spokesman said the Reagan Administration considered Yazov’s remarks “an appropriate apology,” even though the Soviets did not offer to provide any compensation to Nicholson’s family.

Shortly after the incident, Carlucci’s predecessor, Caspar W. Weinberger, had demanded not only an apology from the Soviet Union but also financial compensation for his widow and family.

The Soviets had claimed that Nicholson was in prohibited territory at the time of the shooting.