European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - October 21, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 10 the stars and stripes tuesday october 21,1988 column William Safire Gorbachev s Vladivostok speech is the one of the world s Mast far seeing Diplo Mats asked for the reason behind the soviet Union s current moves responded with a question of his  1 read Mikhail Gorbachev s july 28 speech a Vladivostok i had been absent when conceptual framework ing 10 covered Gorbachev s Vladivostok speech. The slate department says it does not have a copying English the soviet embassy s press division is permanently out to lunch radio free Europe has Only a summary of what it Calls the most important address he has so far Given dealing with the Kremlin s policy toward Asia and the Pacific re  finally t wrinkled an English translation out of Tass. In it the russian Leader reminds us that the soviet Union is also an asian and Pacific  noting that it is in Asia that american Imperial ism waged inc two biggest wars since 1945 in Korea and Indochina Gorbachev views wit alarm the militarized Triangle of Washington Tokyo and Seoul resulting in the placement of nuclear weapon delivery vehicles to Japan and South Korea. His ostensible solution to that supposed threat Ani a Helsinki Type Accord of All the Pacific nations headquartered in Hiroshima the first victim  inflicted by the . But his real message is an Assurance Lope King that he seeks Good neighbourhood on his East Ern Border. The Gorbachev speech subtly uses the soothing term Panch Shell five principles evoking Nehru s negotiations with Chou in Lai when those leaders liked to speak of non  and coexistence in the 50s. But what of the three obstacles to renewed warmth Laid Down by Deng Xiaoping occupation of Afghanistan troop buildups on the chinese Border support of North Vietnam s occupation of cambo Dia in Vladivostok Gorbachev announced the planned withdrawal of six regiments from Afghani Stan three of them Ami aircraft units hardly a con cession when inc afghan resistance has no aircraft on obstacle iwo he hinted at a pullout of a sub Stantial part of the soviet troops from Mongolia Only 75,000 Are stationed there but that is close to peking and would be a Welcome Token. On inc cambodian obstacle he had nothing to offer let Deng come to Moscow to talk about thai. The obvious purpose of the russian opening to the East is to use the Specter of chinese soviet rapprochement to pressure the West since the Shah s fall our main Miell gence gathering land base has Anthony Lewis d5dwdwok by been in China Gorbachev wants to remove that Means of verification. Even More important by reducing the rivalry Between inc two largest communist Powers the soviet Leader gains diplomatic res Pite on his Eastern front while gaining political leverage to use in Europe and in arms reduction talks. His much less obvious purpose is 10 Lessen the danger to the .s.r. Front a China equipped wit thousands of ballistic missiles. The russians cannot afford to be naked to nuclear attack by the chinese who could survive them in an All out Exchange. That is Why his passionate objection to space based defences is a subterfuge. Gorbachev know that the evolution of deterrent into defense is a historical imperative he treats it not As a feast Bitile but As a certainty he objects Only to an american ski in place before his own. Jus strategy from the Start has been to delay our testing and deployment of a shield until his own less publicized space defense gains an advantage. That explains the attempted entrapment in Iceland As Anatoly Dobrynin surely predicted Thi Surprise gambit precipitated a debilitating debate a America about trading a missile reduction Bird in the hand for a space defense Byrd in the Bush. Because arms reductions Are now hostage 10 Celay in american defense testing the russians can allow the . To negotiate with itself and delay ski fund ing a promised Summit in America is now put off perhaps until after a Summit with Deng in  Leader with his Finger on the hold Button a Gorbachev. Thus his opening to the East combined with bit tantalizing offers of missile reductions tied to space defense delays in the West is designed to gain him respite on both fronts. He needs that time strengthen the Economy on which All potential domination rests my classmates in conceptual Frame working 101may differ but they Haven t read the Vladivostok speech. Two York Tenn is in Block is White up is Down . Won in Iceland Ronald Reagan has never been More breathtaking As a politician than in the Days since Reykjavik. He has Pic tured failure As Success Black As White incompetence As standing up to the rus sians. And according to the polls Ameri cans love the performance. The trouble with that political Success is that it has such a Short half life. Rea Gan knows he will be judged in the Long run by whether he actually reaches sub Stantial arms control agreements with the soviet Union. That is Why Secretary of state George Sulu is pressing on with the serious business of negotiation. Reagan s critics Loo Are in an ambiguous position Aslo Reykjavik. It is Nau seating to see an american president come from a meeting on the most fateful issues and think of it Only in political terms distorting the facts to tit. Yet we know thai this president s political skills essential if there is to be real Progress on arms control. Ai the end in Reykjavik american faces and words were Bleak. But Reagan has not made his Way in politics by bad news. So on he plane coming Home the decision was made to sell a different line upbeat blaming the russians for the Lack of agreement taking credit for not letting them strip away our defences. As Pat Buchanan the White House Wordsmith put it the president made the most sweeping far reaching arms control proposal in history. Gorbachev said no. He made a non negotiable de Mand that the president give up ski and the president said  look at the record and every element in that tale turns out to be untrue. The Reagan administration spent five years mocking All past efforts Ai arms control and offering few serious proposals of its own. Reagan went to ice land with no new initiatives his advisers disagreed and he could Noor would not resolve the disagreement it was Mikhail Gorbachev who made the dramatic proposal and conces Sion in Reykjavik. He agreed 10 the removal of All intermediate Range mis Siles from Europe. He accepted we . View on a gradual drop in nuclear test ing. He gave Way on the old disputes about British and French missiles and about How to count bombers with nuclear weapons. Then Gorbachev proposed a roughly 50-percent Cut in strategic weapons Over the next five years. It was a proposal for which Reagan and his people were totally unprepared. Minimum competence required thai they take in under advise ment and say it called for late negotiation. Bui instead the president replied with a utopian proposal to eliminate All Ballis tic missiles Over the next 10 Yean. That would still leave nuclear armed bombers and cruise missiles in which the . Haste Edge so Gorbachev spoke in reply of eliminating All nuclear  that was a utopian discussion because the elimination of All nuclear missiles or weapons raises very hard questions. The balance of terror has after All worked to prevent War Between the  change should be made Only after careful thought about maintaining stability and about dealing with other present and potential nuclear Powers. And then came Gorbachev s proposal that testing of the strategic de sense initiative be confined to the Laboratory for the next 10 years. That is what Reagan later described As a demand that would kill ski. But most scientists do not think to Cal ing limits in that period would but or even hobble ski. The billion spent Bilso far have shown that in is even Huff than imagined to build effective deft Aphin space. For years ahead then Wilt be to reason for full scale tests in space we less to impress the Gullible with ape fed ulars and thus keep the Money cow Luthe Way out of the Reykjavik Imp Amis Plain enough by now. It is to off tilt specific terms on what kind of Tofu can be conducted outside the Laboratory to soviet government has already Incura Mithat it is ready to move in that direction.1 but Progress will depend on  s willingness to go Back from ppr Vilics to substance. In will depend on Ufi dropping the fantasy of ski As an umbrella Over America the equivalent of radar in world War ii. It win depend giving up his lawyers ingenious re 1 of the 1972 anti missile treaty m i tally meaningless ii May be the hardest test Yel for Igan and it will come soon. Is there a to Biro than political Genius to he-1rious? " can vol Timm