NUCLEAR TEST TALKS

Created: 3/26/1959

OCR scan of the original document, errors are possible

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CURRENT INTELLIGENCE WEEKLY

ISI

9

NUCLEAR TEST TALKS

USSR onarch agreed at the Geneva talks to the Western draft articles on duration of the proposed treaty forof nuclear testing and on

periodic review of the control system. As late asarch, Soviet chief delegate Tsarapkin had told Ambassador Wadsworth privately that, under the Western

SECRET

CURRENT INTELLIGENCE WEEKLY 5UMHABY9

of reference, theould not agreereaty. Be had contended at thethat tbe American duration article bad been designed to make withdrawal from the treaty "as easy as possible" andwas "harmful and dangerous to International relations."

tated thatthe right jT withdrawal from the treaty tj the el Ceo tiveness of the control system wasto the USSR and that the only violation of tbe terms of the treaty in the Soviet view woulduclear test Itself. Soviet propaganda had alsocriticized the American draft duration article beforelrrch, calling it another effort "'jimed at preventing at any cost aunconditional, andcessation of tests."

The Soviet leaders probably believed this demonstration of willingness to make concessions ln important East-Westoccurring during Prime Minister Macmillan's Washington visit, would increase pressure on the West to agree to Soviet demands on the agenda andof high-level East-West talks.

The Soviet leaders probably also believe their concession on these Important points will place the USSRetterto demand concessions from the West on the issue of voting in the control commission.

Soviet propaganda since lb March, while falling to exploitconcession, haa focused on the "impasse" it claims has been created by the West's "un-reallatlc" position on voting procedures ln the controland on the composition of the control bodies.

In another effort tothe Western attitudethe talks, Moscow also charged that the three-week recess

proposed by the West "can in no way cause satisfaction" and "runs counter to publicoting that the Soviet delegation had urged that the talks continue uninterruptedly.

Onarch, Moscowhrushchev's reply ofarchetter on the test cessation question fromell-known He charged the United States and Britain with "doing everything they can to prevent an agreement" and stated that thetherefore are "now faced i failure." He made no meittoa of the US3R'so? the Western articlf on duration. Moscow has further asserted that the Americanat this time Of Its September high-altitude tests is calculated "to undermine the authority of the Geneva experts' conference and therefore to make the reaching of agreement oo stopping tests more dlf*jcult^^_

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