Soviets Apologize for Killing U.S. Officer in 1985

After resisting for three years, the Soviet Union has formally apologized for the March, 1985, killing of U.S. Army Maj. Arthur D. Nicholson Jr. while he was on a legitimate surveillance mission in East Germany, Defense Department officials said Tuesday.

Soviet Defense Minister Dmitri T. Yazov made the apology in a private talk with Defense Secretary Frank C. Carlucci during the Moscow summit meeting two weeks ago, a Pentagon spokesman announced.

“We feel that we have received the appropriate apology from the Soviets,” Pentagon spokesman Dan Howard said.

The Soviets did not, however, accede to American demands that they pay compensation to Nicholson’s family, Howard said.

The Nicholson affair has been a major irritant in U.S.-Soviet relations and the subject of numerous demands for an apology by top U.S. officials. The announcement comes two weeks before hundreds of U.S. and Soviet military officers begin verification inspections of missile sites in the two countries under terms of the recently signed medium-range nuclear weapons treaty.

It also marks a step toward lowering tension caused by encounters between U.S. and Soviet forces, such as a bumping incident involving warships in the Black Sea earlier this year.

President Reagan, former Defense Secretary Caspar W. Weinberger and Carlucci have raised the Nicholson issue repeatedly in meetings with Soviet leaders. The subject came up again during the Carlucci-Yazov meetings in Moscow.

According to Howard, Yazov said: “I express 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.”

Howard said the U.S. government is satisfied with the Soviet language and eager to work to avoid future hostile encounters. “That seems to be the most productive path we can follow,” he said.

Asked why he did not disclose the Soviet apology while Carlucci was in Moscow, Howard said, “Nobody asked me the question.”

Sanctioned Surveillance

The United States and the Soviet Union have conducted sanctioned surveillance operations in East and West Germany under agreements signed in 1947. Nicholson was part of the 14-member U.S. Military Liaison Mission, based in Potsdam, East Germany, which is permitted to observe and photograph Soviet and East German military installations in specified zones.

Nicholson, 37, a fluent speaker of Russian, was described as a brilliant intelligence officer. He was killed March 24, 1985, near a Soviet training base at Ludwigslust, East Germany.

With a U.S. Army sergeant as his driver, Nicholson was operating within the observer team rules in an area near a Soviet tank shed that had been designated as temporarily off limits a few months earlier but was no longer restricted, according to investigations into the incident.

A young Soviet sentry hiding in bushes spotted Nicholson carrying a camera near the tank shed. Although sentries are expected to shout a warning in such situations, the sentry opened fire without warning, the driver said.

Nicholson lay on the ground for an hour after being denied medical treatment, U.S. officials charged, and the driver, Sgt. Jessie G. Schatz, was forcibly restrained from providing first aid.

Restricted Area Claimed

The Soviets have maintained that Nicholson was engaged in illegal surveillance in a restricted area at the time. They said their sentry shouted warnings and fired into the air before shooting the major.