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As expected, most of the discussion centered on President Reagan's Star Wars proposal to deploy defensive weapons in space and on his new, veiled offer to discuss the issue. But if the Soviets had hoped that Nitze might offer a more promising interpretation of the President's hints, they were disappointed. Nor did they show much interest in Reagan's latest proposals or offer new positions of their own. American spokesmen contrived to put a positive spin on the mission to Moscow, labeling the talks "serious, substantive and businesslike." (Translation: there was no outright fighting but also no progress.)
The most encouraging result was that the Soviets said they want to go through the procedure again. They have agreed to reconvene in Washington, probably early next month. The President told reporters at a press conference in Chicago that he fully expected a second summit would be held this year, despite Moscow's continued refusal last week to set a date.
Before Monday's talks, Perle spent an afternoon afoot in Moscow like any first-time tourist. His "immediate impression," Perle said from his vacation home in France, was that the U.S.S.R. is "not a rich country. The thought kept occurring that this country is able to field a very powerful military machine when there are so many obviously unmet needs of its citizens." He found Moscow even "drabber" than he had anticipated and noted how Soviet soldiers at Lenin's tomb marched in Nazi-style goose step. "You would think the Soviets would go out of their way to avoid anything even remotely evoking the Nazi past," said Perle. "But then there is so much that is inexplicable."
Perle recalled a news item extolling Soviet ice cream. But, he complained, "there was none. Someone told us that by afternoon all the ice cream was usually sold out." When he did eventually taste some, he dismissed it: "My only comment is that whoever thinks the Soviets make the best ice cream has never been to Baskin-Robbins."
Perle's presence in Moscow reflected the Jekyll-and-Hyde nature of his influential role. He originally went to Washington in 1969 and became a protege of Nitze, 79, the smooth patrician who started dealing with the Soviets 40 years ago, when Perle was still a toddler. Together they did more than anyone else to block ratification of the SALT II treaty, a union that eventually brought both into the Reagan Administration.
But today the Prince of Darkness and the Silver Fox represent the polar opposites of the President's advice on arms control. Perle remains deeply committed to the deployment of Star Wars and sees little hope of trading off defensive and offensive systems -- the "grand compromise" that Nitze seems to feel might cap his distinguished career. Despite his role as a team player in Nitze's delegation last week, Perle, by his very presence, served to keep the delegation strictly faithful to the President's determination to deploy Star Wars and to symbolize for the Soviets the tough American demands they must accommodate.