‘Not Opposed’ to ‘Star Wars,’ Dukakis Says

In a sharp change of tone, Michael S. Dukakis said Thursday that he is “not opposed” to the Strategic Defense Initiative and “obviously” would support testing and deployment if he deemed it “essential to our national security.”

For months, the Democratic presidential candidate has denounced the Reagan Administration’s so-called “Star Wars” missile defense system as a “fantasy” and said deployment would violate the anti-ballistic missile treaty with the Soviet Union.

But his comment on Thursday, made at a press conference here, suggested that he was softening his criticism of SDI. A day earlier, Republican nominee George Bush had charged that Democratic opposition to SDI would leave America “hostage to Soviet ballistic missiles,” and the Republicans have devoted much energy in recent weeks to depicting Dukakis as soft on defense.

Dukakis and his aides insisted, however, that the Massachusetts governor’s position on the issue had not changed.

Dukakis said he continues to support about $1 billion in research permitted under the ABM treaty, as he has all along. “That’s as far as we should go,” he added.

“Obviously, we’re not going to test and deploy if it’s a violation of the treaty,” he said.

What if research showed that the system worked? he was asked. Would he spend the money to deploy it?

“If I made a judgment, and Congress made a judgment, that it was essential to our national security, then, obviously, we would proceed,” Dukakis replied. “But we don’t know that at this point.”

Can Withdraw From Treaty

James Steinberg, a deputy issues adviser, said that Dukakis was referring to an ABM provision that allows either nation to withdraw from the treaty if it determines such action to be in its “supreme national interest.”

“His position is that (that) is not the case now, and will not be the case in the foreseeable future,” Steinberg said. He added that Dukakis’ comments were intended only to “make clear that he supports research under the treaty.”

Dukakis said he will elaborate on his defense and foreign policy views in a series of speeches next week.

The news conference followed a speech by Dukakis to the American Legion convention here. The Massachusetts governor, who was denounced by President Reagan and Vice President Bush in appearances this week, drew polite if not overwhelming applause from the veterans’ group.

Discusses Veterans’ Issues

In the speech, he focused mostly on veterans’ issues and his calls for beefing up conventional forces. He said nothing about “Star Wars” or other major weapons systems.

“After eight years and $2 trillion, we still don’t have an anti-tank weapon that can stop modern Soviet tanks,” he said. “We have serious shortages in ammunition and spare parts and maintenance. We see billions being spent on weapons that don’t do what they are designed to do. And we see too many defense dollars slipping into the pockets of wheeler-dealers and consultants.”

Dukakis praised the President for signing a treaty to limit nuclear missiles in Europe. And he did not mention Bush by name, lowering the heat of their recent war of words.

Questions Bush Priorities

“My friends, my opponent in this election is a patriotic man who served his country well in time of war,” he said. Dukakis added that he questions not Bush’s “love for this country,” but “his priorities.”

Dukakis said Bush had called for a $28-billion tax break for “the wealthiest and most privileged” Americans. But, in 1985, Dukakis added, the vice president “cast the deciding vote” for a Senate budget resolution that cut $2 billion in veterans’ health care benefits and eliminated cost-of-living increases for disabled veterans. “What kind of priorities are those?” he asked.

Dukakis did not promise to increase veterans’ benefits or facilities. And the speech received a mixed response.

“It’d be better if he’d take the issues head on, instead of dancing around on defense,” said Jack Mummert, a bearded legionnaire from Whittier, Calif., who did not applaud.

Wants to Make Up Own Mind

But Ralph Stockton, of Plainfield, Ill., clapped hard and often. “Gov. Dukakis did not run down the opposition like Vice President Bush did,” he said. “I don’t like it when they run down the other party. I’d rather make up my own mind.”

Dukakis later flew to Buffalo, N. Y., to speak to workers at a General Motors Chevrolet-Pontiac engine manufacturing plant in the suburb of Tonawanda. He was to spend the night in New York City after attending a fund-raiser with his running mate, Texas Sen. Lloyd Bentsen.

Aides said the event would raise more than $5 million for the Democratic Party, which already has raised about $25 million for the fall race.

Also attending the fund-raiser was the Rev. Jesse Jackson, but Dukakis aides said there were no plans for Dukakis to meet with his former rival for the nomination.

Staff writers Karen Tumulty in New York and Douglas Jehl in Washington contributed to this story.