Putting It on the Table

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But the idea of a nonnuclear defense, practicable or not, has an appeal that will make it difficult for the Kremlin to drive a wedge between the U.S. and its allies. Though Andreotti told Gromyko that Italy shares Soviet concern about the presence of military weapons in space, he firmly defended the U.S. right to proceed with research on Star Wars technology. Britain and West Germany, while still harboring strong doubts about eventual deployment, have independently grown more interested in the research program's industrial potential; one key West German defense official predicts that it will lead to "a third technological revolution." French Foreign Minister Roland Dumas proclaimed that the S.D.I. contains "an element of seduction."

Clouding the arms talks was the continuing leadership muddle in the Kremlin. President Konstantin Chernenko was seen twice on Soviet television last week, ending a public disappearance that lasted nearly two months, but the taped glimpses only served to heighten concern about his poor health. Chernenko, who is believed to suffer from emphysema, looked wan and frail in both appearances; in one, he seemed to be breathing with difficulty. Though he had professed to be hopeful about the outlook for arms negotiations in a speech that was read in his name a few days earlier, the TV footage made his ability to supply day-to-day direction seem more questionable than ever.

The U.S. delegation in Geneva will number more than 70 aides and advisers, divided into a trio of subgroups coinciding with the three negotiating areas. Besides Kampelman, who will be chief negotiator and preside at the U.S. side on Star Wars discussions, the other key arms envoys are former Senator John Tower (START) and Career Diplomat Maynard Glitman (INF). Kampelman declined to estimate the length of the new negotiations. His view: "We must be prepared to stay at the negotiating table one day longer than the Soviets."