Dukakis Softens His Opposition to ‘Star Wars’ Defense Plan

Michael S. Dukakis softened his opposition to “Star Wars” today, saying he backs continued research and might take a second look at the anti-missile defense system he has called a “fantasy.”

“If I made the judgment and the Congress made the judgment that it was essential to our national security, well, obviously we’d proceed with it. But we don’t know that at this point,” the Democratic presidential candidate told a news conference.

Dukakis, who addressed war veterans at the American Legion convention, has ridiculed “Star Wars,” formally known as the Strategic Defense Initiative, throughout his campaign, declaring often “I don’t want ‘Star Wars,’ I want star schools.”

On other occasions the Massachusetts governor has complained that “we’re spending billions on a fantasy whose testing and deployment are prohibited by the ABM (anti-ballistic missile) treaty.”

But Dukakis, out to disprove Republican charges that he is soft on defense, denied that he opposes SDI. He said he thinks that $1 billion in annual research spending on the system is “appropriate.”

‘Keep Our Options Open’

But Dukakis said he would not now back deployment of a system because it would violate the ABM treaty.

“Obviously, we’re not going to test and deploy if it’s a violation of the treaty,” Dukakis said, insisting that observing the treaty is in the nation’s best interests.

“But we’ve got to keep our options open,” he added.

Dukakis has always left the door open to continued research, but the $1-billion level cited today would represent a sharp cut in total SDI spending. President Reagan requested $4.9 billion for SDI research, development and testing in the upcoming fiscal year. The issue is now pending before Congress.

‘Not in Disarray’

At the news conference, Dukakis said he is not worried about a new ABC-Washington Post poll, showing him behind Vice President George Bush by 8 percentage points.

“I don’t think we’re slipping, and I don’t think we’re in disarray,” he said.

Earlier, in a speech that won a warm reception from the American Legion convention, Dukakis called for strengthening America’s conventional forces and criticized the Administration in connection with its spending on veterans’ programs.

Dukakis suggested that the national debt, which has risen sharply during the Reagan Administration, will cramp efforts to build up the nation’s military might.

‘Mountain of Debt’

“After eight years and $2 trillion, we still don’t have an anti-tank weapon that can stop modern Soviet tanks,” Dukakis said. “We cannot build a strong national defense on a mountain of debt.”

Dukakis attacked Bush for favoring a cut in the capital gains tax, which he said would mostly benefit the wealthy, while also casting the tie-breaking vote in the Senate several years ago for legislation that, among other things, curbed veterans’ health-care benefits.

Later, at the news conference, Dukakis took a quick jab at Bush for his gaffe Wednesday in which the vice president at first insisted that the anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor fell on Sept. 7 and not Dec. 7. (Story, Page 19.) Bush corrected himself shortly after making the statement.

Dukakis joked, “I didn’t know that there were only 16 shopping days until Christmas until yesterday.”