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Document No. 102: Statement by Marshal Ustinov at the Committee of Ministers of Defense Meeting in Sofia, December 5–7, 1983 ——————————————————————————————————————————— This meeting provided a forum for Soviet Defense Minister Marshal Dmitrii Ustinov to speak to his Warsaw Pact colleagues about the dangers posed by the West’s decision to deploy Euromissiles.34 He declares that the move calls for measures to preserve “equilibrium ”—which ironically was the West’s rationale for deploying them in the first place. This view was the Warsaw Pact’s public position but was apparently genuinely believed byitsleadersbecauseUstinov’sremarksweremadeduringaclosedmeeting.Commenting that the West is undertaking unprecedented preparations for war, he wonders aloud howtheallianceshouldrespond.HecitesSovietpartyGeneralSecretaryIuriiAndropov’s instructions not to copy the enemy’s armament program but to “go one’s own way,” and force the adversary to adjust accordingly. ____________________ In response to the aggressive actions of the Reagan administration and the governments of several other NATO countries, the Soviet Union has declared that it is lifting its voluntary moratorium on the deployment of intermediate-range Soviet nuclear weapons in the European part of the country. These weapons will now also be deployed at locations from which they could reach the territories of the relevant West European countries. In coordination with the GDR and the ČSSR, preparations for stationing longerrange tactical missiles on the territories of these countries will be accelerated. As regards U.S. territory, the necessary retaliatory measures will be taken. The Americans will not fail to notice the change in their situation after the stationing of their missiles in Western Europe. […] The above-mentioned measures are necessary for our security. American Imperialism has announced a “crusade” against Socialism. It is attempting to destroy Socialism as a social system and to establish itself as the dominant world power. Never before has the aggressiveness of American imperialism been so apparent. The American invasion of the small and essentially defenseless state of Grenada,35 which constituted a breach of faith and was totally unprovoked, has demonstrated that the Washington administration brutally disrespects the norms of international law and is capable of the most irresponsible war adventures and crimes. [President Ronald] Reagan’s intention is to demonstrate to the Soviet Union, the 34 The Pershing-2 intermediate-range missiles and cruise missiles to be installed in Western Europe to counter the already deployed Soviet SS-20 missiles targeted at the area. 35 U.S. forces invaded Grenada on October 25, 1983, after former Deputy Prime Minister Bernard Coard, a hard-line Marxist, had seized power on the island in a coup. The move was part of the Reagan administration’s campaign to contest perceived communist gains, particularly in Central America and the Caribbean. 490 other countries of the Warsaw Treaty, Cuba and countries like Nicaragua, Syria, Angola, Ethiopia and several others, that the USA is determined to apply military force against any state whose social and political system does not suit it, whenever it considers it to be necessary. In its effort to gain control of positions of power in the world, the Washington administration together with its NATO allies is doing everything it can to attain military superiority over the socialist community. The war preparations of imperialism have taken on truly unprecedented proportions . In the USA pressure is being applied to implement large-scale programs of military technology. So-called “pre-emptive strike forces” are being strengthened throughthedevelopmentofnewtacticalfirst-strikenuclearweapons,andalsothrough the creation of guided systems of existing high-precision weapons. An all-encompassing missile defense system is being developed. The weapons race is being expanded to outer space. U.S. military expenditures are growing at an enormous rate. Whereas in the past five years (1979–1983) they amounted to 850 billion dollars, they will more than double in the five years to come (1984–1988) and reach the astronomical amount of 1 trillion 800 billion dollars. The ruling circles in the other NATO countries are also increasing military expenditures , building up their armed forces and militarizing their politics and economy. NATO forces are being reinforced in all the European theaters of war. The growing aggressiveness of the USA and NATO is also evident in their new military strategy, which emphasizes conducting decisive attacks right from the first hours of the war. […] At the NATO meetings presently taking place, measures are being considered to push further ahead with war preparations. Also on the agenda are recommendations to begin working out plans for the deployment of the new American nuclear missiles to be stationed in England...

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