Soviet Subs Cause Concern In U.S.

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31728, 11 July 1968, Page 17

Soviet Subs Cause Concern In U.S.

(N.Z.P.A.-Reuter —Copyright) WASHINGTON, July 10. The House of Representatives’ Armed Services Committee says the nation faces the possibility of “a major submarine gap” and that the blame can be laid on the civilian planners recruited by the former Defence Secretary (Mr Robert McNamara).

In a report accompanying the SUS2I6 thousand million Military Procurement Bill recently approved by the com mittee. the chairman (Mr L Mendel Rivers) and his colleagues use such words as “alarming,” “menacing” and “critical” to describe the growing Soviet submarine fleet which, according to the committee, now numbers more than 350 vessels.

“Some of them carry ballistic missiles which can be aimed at our cities and at other strategic centres,” says the report “Some carry cruise missiles which can be used against our

aircraft carriers and other capital ships. “Many of these submarines, moreover, are regularly stationed off our coast lines, within missile firing range.” The Soviet submarines, most of them less than 13 years old, are not matched by America's 104 attack submarines, only 34 of which are nuclear powered and twothirds of which were built during World War IL The committee inserted in the Administration’s budget SUSI6.4m for research and development of a new class of submarine to be built in the 19705.