Curbing a Naval Race?

In the past few months, the U.S. has been greatly concerned about the Soviet naval buildup in the Indian Ocean. Last December, for instance, Washington signed an agreement that ensures U.S. naval vessels continued access to Bahrein, now that the British have abandoned their base there. More recently, the Pentagon announced that there would be frequent patrols in the Indian Ocean by units of the Pacific-based Seventh Fleet.

It now appears that Washington was simultaneously making efforts through diplomatic channels to prevent the buildup altogether. Testifying before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs U. Alexis Johnson allowed that the Administration had asked Moscow for a mutual curbing of naval forces in the Indian Ocean. Last year the Soviets hinted that such an agreement might be possible; so far, though, they have not responded to the latest American initiative.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.