The continuing mistrust between the United States and the Soviet Union, along with the Reagan Administration’s commitment to “Star Wars,” are two obstacles that stand in the way of further nuclear arms reductions between the two countries.

This message was conveyed by arms control advocate and former Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty chief negotiator Robert Earle II during his visit to NIU this week.

Earle said this is an exciting time for arms control. However, he stressed the fact that many problems need to be addressed before any real progress can be made.

“Arms control will not save the world, but it should be advocated,” Earle said. He also said it should be a vital part of the next U.S. president’s national security and foreign policies. Earle added jokingly, “One nuclear bomb can ruin your entire life.”

Earle lectured at NIU on Wednesday, focusing on the arms control issue and fielding questions from an audience of more than 50 people. His visit was made possible by an award given to NIU from the Herbert Scoville, Jr. Lecture series.

Herbert Scoville was president of The Arms Control Association and devoted his career to reducing the threat of nuclear war.

Depending upon who wins the presidential election in November, the U.S. could follow one of two directions in the nuclear arms race, Earle said.

The Soviets, according to Earle, would probably prefer Democrat Michael Dukakis to be elected because of his stance on the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI, or “Star Wars”).

Dukakis has said that he might support continued research into SDI, but his stance is not as hard-line as Vice President George Bush’s. Dukakis has favored eliminating the program in the past. Bush has shifted from being a skeptic of the program to supporting research, testing and possible deployment.

“The approach of Dukakis is much more suitable to the approach of the Soviets,” Earle said. “However, the Soviets have not ratified an arms control treaty with a Democratic president since 1963.”

Earle said he believes the major stumbling block between U.S. and Soviet arms negotiations is SDI. He also said that, in his opinion, protection from nuclear war in space is a “fantasy.”

“If we deploy a defense system in space to protect ourselves from offensive weapons launched from the Soviet Union, we are opening a brand new door to a whole new arms race.

“The Soviets would increase their supply of offensive weapons, we would increase our supply of offensive weapons, and a pattern of action and reaction would prevent any side from winning.”

Earle said that, presently, the U.S. and the Soviet Union are at a military standoff. Though the U.S. can deliver more than 13,000 nuclear weapons to the Soviet Union and the Soviets can deliver an excess of 10,000 to our continent, we bilaterally remain equal because the weapons harbored in Soviet silos, submarines and bombers are bigger.

Earle also emphasized the fact that mutual trust between the superpowers is virtually impossible.

“They mistrust us to the hilt,” Earle said. “And we mistrust them.”

Historically, Earle said the Soviets have mistrusted the U.S. since 1918 when American forces helped invade the Soviet Union to put down Bolshevik power.

“We helped the British and the French in an unsuccessful invasion of their country. We have nuclear missiles sitting right on their border in Turkey. We have aircraft carriers in the seas around their country. Those are reasons why they don’t trust us.”

Earle added that American and Soviet mistrust is mutual.

In order to help reduce the amount of mistrust and confusion that surfaces in times of crisis between the two nations, Earle said he hopes to find support in Washington, D.C., for risk reduction centers in both countries.

“By establishing a 24-hour center in Moscow and Washington, both of us can have instant access to the other when a low-scale crisis such as an airliner flying into restricted airspace occurs,” Earle said.”