Rightists take U.S. Govt to court

Press, 20 January 1984, Page 6

Rightists take U.S. Govt to court

NZPA-Reuter Washington A leading conservative group, accusing President Ronald Reagan of violating his oath of office, filed a suit yesterday to stop the United States Government from complying with unratified United States-Soviet arms control treaties. The Conservative Caucus asked the Federal District Court in Washington for a declaratory judgment that would rule compliance with the technically expired 1972 Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty (S.A.L.T. 1) and the unratified 1979 S.A.L.T. 2 agreement illegal.

The caucus, a non-partisan citizens lobby claiming 400,000 supporters, accused Mr Reagan of

exceeding his authority and disregarding the Constitution by adhering to the two treaties.

Howard Phillips, the caucus’s chairman, said that those treaties “constrain us but they don’t constrain the Soviet Union ... We have been gratuitously dismantling those (weapons) systems.”

The Administration has agreed to comply generally with the agreements provided Moscow does the same.

The caucus alleged in Court papers that as a result of this compliance the United States had deactivated 292 strategic missiles and bombers under

S.A.L.T. 2 and planned to deactivate 90 852 bombers and 32 Poseidon submarinelaunched missiles.

The caucus also said that the potential payload and “throw-weight” of the new MX missile had been reduced and 50 to 100 stockpiled Minutemen 3 intercontinental ballistic missiles had not been deployed under the treaties.

A one-time strong supporter of Mr Reagan’s, Mr Phillips said that he could not explain why the President had “moved away from the position he once espoused.” He refused to say if he would endorse Mr Reagan for re-election.