The World - News from Jan. 23, 1989

British intelligence reports show that the Soviet Union’s chemical weapons stockpile is six times the level it has admitted to the West, and the government intends to confront Soviet leaders on the issue, The Times of London said. The newspaper quoted what it said were senior government sources as stating that the Soviets’ declared estimate--that it had 50,000 metric tons of chemical weapons--was “an absurd under-estimate.” The newspaper said it has been told that intelligence estimates put the figure closer to 300,000 metric tons of “chemical and biological agents.” The Ministry of Defense said it has not seen the newspaper report and could not comment.