Sakharov Calls for Support of Soviet Reform

Soviet activist Andrei D. Sakharov, on his first visit to the West, called today for international support for the political restructuring occurring in his homeland, saying its failure could threaten all humanity.

“I think that perestroika (political reform) is an extremely serious process. The goals . . . are not false,” he said. “This is not theater for the West, this is a genuine, real process. . . . The West must not fear perestroika.

“A greater danger to the world as a whole would be the failure of perestroika. Internal failure could be accompanied by external expansion. For the preservation of the system, expansion would be a necessity. . . . It would be a catastrophe from which would arise a great threat to all humanity,” the 1975 Nobel Peace Prize winner said.

“For that reason I think the West should be genuinely interested in the success of perestroika and in supporting it.”

Sakharov is scheduled to spend two weeks in the United States visiting relatives, undergoing medical tests and promoting a new international organization.

On his arrival Sunday, the 67-year-old physicist declared himself a free man but called attention to a supporter jailed for a protest on his behalf nearly eight years ago.