us DEPARTMENT OF STATE DIRECTOR OF-INTELLIGENCE AND RESEARCH DECLASSIFIED r Authoritywb it MM FOREIGN -- 283 April 12 1967 This report was produced by the Bureau of IntelligenCe and Research Aside from normal Substantive-exchange with other agencies at the working level To The Acting Secretary Through From INR Thomas L HughesiuI Subject Soviets Continue to Denounce American Interpretation of Nonproliferation Treaty Soviet commentators continue to deplore the American interpre tation of Articles I and II of the draft on nonproliferation but they remain vague as to the nature of the American interpretation and as to its consequences for the treaty -'Reaction to Finney Story The Soviet commentaries have been in reaction to John Finney's article in the March 30 New York Times The first was by Sergei Zykov in Izvestiya on April 1 and took the line that any interpretation which would allow for West German participation in a European nuclear force a clear violation of the meaning and aims of the contemplated treaty His argument was echoed in further commentaries in Pravda and Izvestiya deploring what the Soviets called the American guarantee to Bonn to this effect But it remained for an April 9 Moscow broadcast to make clear that the interpretation at issue involved the question of establishing a European nuclear force in the-event of European political integration Even so the Soviet commentator did not exu plain the rationale that a European federation would be the successor state to a present nuclear power GRGUP 1 Excluded from automatic downgrading and _declassification FOREIGN it has not been coordinated elsewhere nuns DECLASSIFIED AuthorityMy i 20 1 FOREIGN 2 - Soviet Intentions The commentaries make a public record of Moscow s opposition to interpretations of Articles I and II which had been expressed in private earlier by the Soviet delegation in Geneva and by Gromyko-in Moscow In publishing these commentaries Moscow evidently intended to warn the US that any official public statement of the Western interpretation of the articles would not go unchallenged But beyond that neither the public commentaries nor the private statements make clear what the consequences of contradictory Western and Soviet interpretations of the treaty may be The Soviets doubtless regard the prospect of a European federation as extremely remote and hence of little practical im- portance Nevertheless as the-Soviets publicly dig in with charges that the US has offered to guarantee a loophole for the Germans they may find it increasingly embarrassing to conclude and ratify an agreement FOREIGN