451 



In terms ^jI' t!ic final disposal cf the ipent ! icl from the jubmarines. 

 tepj ..l.ouM '■ ' t.iki.u Ij mj-i! ■' .' i- r.ut :jL'd :n t!;c ;:jcicar -.capons, or civil 

 .;r military leactor f icl l.n clcs. 



llelpinc 'he Russian _avernment and CIS Nivy safel.\ -crap its iuclear- 

 powered -ubmarinci: .oald liavc several additional Lijnefits: 



- mcroascd . uils and ^j^istancc to Jtili closed areas -.ill l.-jlp rc^assure 

 these more conservative and skeptical parts of Russia about the L nited 

 States intentions and open these areas to uutside knowledge; 



- increased mditarv-to-military ties would be very reassuring to CIS 

 naval officers in this period of turmod: 



- the aid a ill allo.v Russian submarine yards to earn hard currency frooi 

 .icrappin;; submarines, easinu their abdity to convert to civilian 

 production (something Severodvinsk plant officials .have told me they are 

 eager to do): 



- additional employment to nuclear specialists in the ' S or Russia could 

 result, particularly at the hard hit Electric Boat plant in Croton. 

 Connecticut, or to Russian nuclear technicians, since their expertise 

 cou.ld be used to assist the with breaking up of the submarines and 

 environmental monitoring and clean-up. 



- such assistance has elements of reciprocity, since CIS naval officers 

 could visit shipyards in the US and observe US decommissionin;; 

 procedures (as you know, reciprocity is politically very important to the 

 Russians); 



Some analysts have questioned ■• hy the Russians should he helped to 

 solve their problem, since the CIS Navy continues to build nuclear-powered 

 submarines. This is a myopic perspective. 



Unfortunately, because the haphazard nature of ex-Soviet technology 

 and the current economic confusion in Russia. Russian problems are also the 

 West c problems. Chernobyl stands as the glaring reminder that the Hest 

 Ignores Russia's predicaments at its own peril. 



Concern about the CIS Navv submarine building program -.vould best be 

 addressed through halting orders for new nuclear-powered submarines. With 

 the termination of the US SSN-21 Seawolf program and the significant down- 

 turn m Russian nuclear-powered submarine construction, it would be relatively 

 simple to insure no new nuclear submarine orders were placed — or even 

 cease production of currently ordered submarines. v 



It miglit interest you to knov. there is international interest in some of 

 these questions. The Norwegian ^jovernment is pursuing vith the Russian 

 government ways to monitor and. if necessary, retrieve the nuclear waste 

 dumped off ^'ovaya Zemlya. The : orwegian Defense Minister Johan Joergen 

 Hoist brought this to the attention of Mr. Reginald Bartholomew at the 

 Department of State in mid-.March. 



