I DECLASSIFIED AuthorityN UPt6r J c'uNr b'Ef rl AC U INCOMING TELEGRAM U DejJartl1zent oj'State PAGE 01 MOSCOW 24941 ACTION EURE-12 311941Z 8347 OCT-Ol AF-I0 10-14 ADS-CC OES-09 ACDA-12 CIAE-CO INR-I0 L-I13 NSAE-CO NSC-05 EB-08 NRC-02 OODHHl DOE-17 55-15 SP-02 CEQ-Ol PM-C6 SAS-02 PA-Ol 1130 W ------------------088232 311955Z 147 P 311645Z OCT 79 FM AMEMBASSY MOSCOW TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 3586 INFO AMEMBASSY PRETORIA PRIORITY USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY AMEMBASSY LONDON PRIORITY USMISSION GENEVA PRIORITY CON F IDE N T I A L MOSCOW 24941 o Fa 7 COMMENT MFA INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS DEPT OFFICIALS AVOIDED POLEMICS WHILE MAKING NO PROMISES THEY PROJECTED A DESIRE TO BE HELPFUL IF THEY CAN IN DETERMINING WHAT HAPPENED ON SEPTEMBER 22 WATSON TAGS TECH MNUC UR SF SUBJECT C SU PFCIFQ NUCLEAR EVENT REF A STATE 281777 NOTALl B STATE 279936 NOTAL 1 0 _ IS EXPLANATION HOW THE RELIABLE VELA SYSTEM COULD REPORT A NUCLEAR EXPLOSION WHEN OTHER NATIONAL MEANS OF -DETECTION FAILED TO YIELD ANY CORROBORATIVE EVIDENCE HE SAID THIS MAY BE RELATED TO THE FACT THAT US AND SOVIET NATIONAL MEANS OF DETECTION ARE FOCUSSED MORE ON THE NORTHERN THAN ON THE SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE STASHEVSKI EXPRESSED THE PERSONAL HOPE THAT THE US WOULD USE THIS INCIDENT TO CONVINCE THE BRITISH TO ACCEPT TEN NUCLEAR SEISMIC STATIONS ON BRITISH CONTROLLED TERRITORY AS THE US AND USSR HAD AGREED TO 00 E O 12065 RDS-l 10 31 89 WATSON THOMAS J OR-M C MOSCOW 24869 NOT All 311941Z IR INFO oo MOSCOW 24941 STATE 284003 NOTALl C-ENT I RE TEXT 2 SCICOUNS FOLLOWED UP DEMARCHE TO MOROZOV REF C ON SUSPECTED NUCLEAR EVENT IN CALL OCTOBER 31 ON MFA ACTING INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS DEPARTMENT CHIEF G S STASHEVSKIY AND DEPUTY CHIEF B P PROKOF'YEV SCICOUNS MADE PRESENTATION BASED ON SPECIFIC POINTS OF REF A AND BACKGROUND BRIEFING ffiEF B SCICOUNS ALSO DREW ON HOODING CARTER STATEMENT ffiEF D DENYING ACCURACY OF OCTOBER 30 TASS ARTICLE ASSERTION THAT US HAD DETECTED RADIOACTIVE DEBRIS CONFIRMING THAT NUCLEAR EXPLOS I ON HAD I NDEED OCCURRED 3 STASHEVSKIY DID NOT REFLECT MOROZOV'S APPARENT SKEPTICISM THAT US HAD MADE SERIOUS EFFORT TO DETERMINE IIHETHER SEPTEMBER 22 EVENT WAS A NUCLEAR EXPLOSION HE DID ASK IIHETHER THE US HAD IMMEDIATELY UPON RECEIPT OF VELA SIGNAL STARTED SEARCH FOR CORROBORATIVE EVIDENCE HE liAS ASSURED ON THIS POINT BY EMBOFF'S READING OF SECRETARY BROWN'S ANSWER TO THIS SAME QUESTION DURING BACKGROUND BR I EF I NG 4 STASHEVSKIY SAID USSR IS SERIOUSLY CONCERNED ABOUT LACK OF CLARITY REGARDING SEPTEMBER 22 EVENT HE THANKED THE US FOR INFORMATION GIVEN SAID THAT HE HAD NOTHING TO SUBSTANTIATE US DATA HE PROMISED TO ACQUAINT THE MFA LEADERSHIP WITH THE US VIEWS STASHEVSKIY THEN EXPLAINED THAT THE SOVIET SIDE HAD STUDIED WESTERN AND OTHER PRESS AND WIRE SERVICE REPORTS ABOUT THE SUSPECTED NUCLEAR EVENT THE TASS REPORT ABOUT IIHICH HOODING CARTER WAS ASKED liAS BASED ON SUCH REPORTS WITH INPUT FROM INFORMED AGENCIES OF THE USSR THE MFA 010 NOT HAVE COMPETENCE TO JUDGE THE CONTENT OF TASS REPORT HE BEll EVED HOWEVER THAT THE REFERENCE IN THE TASS REPORT TO US COLLECTION OF AIR S AMPLES CAME FROM REMARKS ATTR I BUTEO TO AMBASSADOR MCHENRY AT THE UN EMBOH PO I NTED OUT THAT AMBASSADOR MCHENRY HAD TR I EO TO CORRECT THE I MPLI CATI ON I N THE SPEECH OF AMBASSADOR CLARK OF NIGER I A ON OCTOBER 26 AT THE UN THAT THE EVIDENCE OF A SOUTH AFRICAN NUCLEAR EXPLOSION WAS CLEAR-CUT AMBASSADOR MCHENRY liAS SUREL Y MISQUOTED I F SUCH A REMARK HAD BEEN ATTR I BUTE 0 TO HIM 6 SCICOUNS THEN REMARKED THAT AS A SCIENTIST HE WAS DISTURBED AT THE FACT THERE SEEMED TO BE NO CLEAR CONFIDENTIAL