Carter says neutron delay test of Kremlin

Press, 10 April 1978, Page 8

Carter says neutron delay test of Kremlin

NZPA-Reuter Washington President Carter of the United States tried to resolve the controversial neu-tron-bomb issue in one last 1 burst of consultations yesterday with advisers and North Atlantic Treaty Or-, ganisatian allies reluctant to have the bomb on their soil. . "It’s obvious there was disagreement on this,” said a senior Carter Administration, official who briefed report-! ers on the decision-making i process. “It’s a poli-i tical issue . . . there was a good deal of emotion.” The Defence Secretary (Mr Harold Brown) conceded the day before Mr Carter: announced his decision — that, from a public relations' standpoint, the whole issue "could have been handled; better.” In the end. Mr Carter simply decided to delay decision

on the fate of the deadly,| s h o r t-range battle-field; • weapon that kills by radi-| ation while minimising blast! and heat damage. He announced on Saturday that he would defer production until n ; the Russians showed;' - whether they were willing'! to trade some military con-i cessions in return. The issue surfaced last] I •June, when it was disclosed i at a Congressional hearing < that the United States was . planning to produce a new!weapon called the neutron]; ,| warhead and install it in, 'tactical missiles and artillery; shells deployed in Western Europe. Mr Carter admitted at al i news conference that he had I ' been unaware of the plan.; He ordered a study to help' him decide, within a few months, whether such a! I (weapon should be sent to I Europe. Controversy flared over] the military advantages —

| neutron radiation could peneI trate Russian tank armour while reducing spill-over (damage to civilian areas — (versus the argument that these benefits would make (escalation to nuclear war , 'more likely once the shooting began. By September, the neutron bomb had become a political (issue in Europe, and leaders , ■there were on the spot. Mr Carter said he would make a decision only after full con- • Isultation with N.A.T.O.j (allies. i By mid-March the Dutch ; Parliament formally forbade deployment of the weapon lin the Netherlands. Carter Administration offiIcials say the next move is lup to the Russians. ' But many Washington sources say the Russians are unlikely to' make the desired (concessions, leaving the neu-i !tron-bomb issue about where! lit was when Mr Carter first heard of it. ;