War and Peace in the Nuclear Age; Interview with Yuriy Lebedev, 1986
Description:
Yuriy Lebedev was Counselor, then Counselor-Envoy, at the Soviet Embassy in Cuba from 1962-1968, and a Delegate to the SALT II talks from 1974-1979. He first describes the SALT I talks, at which he was a military expert. The atmosphere was positive and characterized by a basic trust between the sides. He notes that while both delegations initially sought to deal with offensive weapons they came to realize that the main problem was with the deployment of ABM systems, which he discusses at different points in the interview. He recalls that forward basing was an issue the Soviets decided to postpone from SALT I to SALT II. He adds that the U.S. has always taken the initiative in launching new systems and phases of the arms race. On the issue of parity, he sees it as an achievement of all Soviet peoples, not just the military. He views the Pershing II and cruise missiles in Europe as strategic weapons. He disagrees that the USSR did not push hard enough for an agreement on MIRVs, pointing to moments during SALT II when he says relevant proposals were made. He explains Moscow's rejection of Cyrus Vance's early proposals for cuts in March 1977, and comments on the U.S. decisions regarding the B-1 bomber and the MX missile. He ends with his personal reactions to the signing of SALT II and the subsequent political fight over its ratification.
