Kennedy Halts Underground Tests

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30041, 28 January 1963, Page 9

Kennedy Halts Underground Tests

(NXP.A.-Rmit«T—Copyright)

WASHINGTON, January 26.

President Kennedy today ordered a halt to United States underground tests in a move authoritatively described as a bid to improve the atmosphere in test ban talks with the Soviet Union.

The President, in announcing his decision, made it clear that he was not calling for an indefinite moratorium on the underground series that has been in progress in the Nevada Desert since late 1961.

He said in a statement that further underground tests would be postponed during test ban discussions being held in Washington and New York by the United States, Britain and the Soviet Union.

But, In a reference to the moratorium the Soviet Union broke by opening atmospheric tests secretly prepared in September, 1961, the President said: “If it is clear we cannot achieve a workable agreement we will act accordingly.”

American officials were encouraged when, in a letter released last week-end, the Soviet Prime Minister (Mr Khrushchev) accepted the

principle of international in-

spection—the issue which has deedilocked the lengthy testban negotiations—to guard against clandestine tests. Representatives of the two Western Powers and the Soviet Union conferred in Washington this week and agreed to resume their talks in New York on Tuesday.

Authoritative sources said the President, by postponing further underground tests, had removed an obvious irritant in the negotiations and was hoping that Mi Khrushchev now would be encouraged to overcome the remaining stumbling blocks to an eventual test ban treaty. The sources said the outlook in the current talks “was not gloomy, but at the same time not too bright.” Political observers thought that the President would review the future of the underground

test series when the Geneva disarmament negotiations resumed on February 12. By that time, it was believed, the United States would be in a position to determine whether a safeguarded test ban treaty was possible.

The chief obstacle to a treaty arises from Mr Khrushchev’s demand for a limit of two to three on-site inspections annually, while the West has called for at least eight to 10. The United States Atomic Energy Commission has reported, from September, 1961, to December. 1962, 89 Soviet nuclear tests.

The Washington talks ended yesterday with an “informal working luncheon’’ at the State Department. The luncheon ended in some confusion when a group of women from the Women’s Strike for Peace met the Soviet delegates in the State Department lobby and thrust large bouquets of flowers at them.

“This is a time for flowers and peace," said the Soviet negotiator, Mr Nikolai Fedorenko, smiling faintly. The women wanted to present flowers to the United States negotiator, Mr William C. Foster, but could not find him, and finally handed his bouquet to a reporter for delivery.