a wide range of arms control and disarmament Issues in this 
Committee. Entry into such examinations has not necessarily 
implied endorsement of any particular proposal. This applies 
to the proposal of the Soviet Union. 
The Government of the United States has not come to a 
policy decision regarding possible treaty prohibitions on new 
types of weapons of mass destruction. 
We entered into these informal discussions for the specific 
purpose of seeking clarification of the issues involved in order 
to move toward an informed opinion on the Soviet proposal. The 
four days of discussion were instructive to the United States 
delegation. We noted a considerable range of topics to be taken 
into account in further studies before we formulate our views. 
The United States reorgnizes the dangers posed by weapons 
of mass destruction — new or existing -- and is prepared to 
consider any practical steps toward overcoming such dangers. 
However, experience suggests that examination of diverse new 
types of weapons of mass destruction would require substantially 
different approaches to questions of definition, scope, and 
verification on a case-by-case basis. We will continue to take 
this experience into account in the process of judging the 
feasibility and desirability of a comprehensive agreement on 
new types of weapons of marc destruction. 
VII-3 
[ 488 ] 
