For East Germany's normally stolid Neues Deutschland, it was a rare scoop. The Communist Party daily reported last week that Soviet troops were preparing to dismantle the first of 54 SS-12 nuclear missiles in East Germany that are scheduled to be scrapped under the U.S.-Soviet intermediate-range nuclear forces treaty. The move came as the accord continued to meet stiff opposition during a U.S. Senate debate over its ratification.
Western analysts viewed the Soviet steps as a propaganda gesture designed to encourage Senate passage of the treaty and to win over nervous West Europeans. Sure enough, West Germany's opposition Social Democrats urged...
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