Neutron bomb support

Press, 13 June 1978, Page 8

Neutron bomb support

! NZPA Washington , ’ The American Senate Armed Services Committee t ; has said that American deployment of the neutron bomb . ■would lead East European t •-communist countries to < ■stress conventional arms and • ■cut back on the growth of, I their nuclear payloads in l< Europe. i The committee report re- f butted the view that introduction of the neutron i bomb into the North Atlan- c tic Treaty Organisation’s c European arsenal would in- i crease the risk of nuclear (

war between the two superpowers. The opposite was true, it said. The report asked President Jimmy Carter to take steps to build up American stocks of all components that would be used in neutron bombs so that they could be quickly sent to Europe for use in Lance missiles and Bin guns. President Carter decided in April to postpone further development and production of neutron bombs. The report said that even if Mr Carter went back on that

-! decision, it would take years si to install neutron weapons lin Europe — unless stocks tjof all were first built up on si American territory. 3 The neutron bomb is fort mally known as an “enr hanced radiation weapon” 3 that has maximum radiation ■ and minimum blast and heat, 1 so as to kill enemy personnel but spare equipment and 1 buildings. r American military plan- ) ners feel it would be highly ■ effective against the massed : tank forces of the Warsaw /Pact in Europe.