WHITE HOUSE RULES OUT POSSIBILITY OF A FIFTH SUMMIT

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP89G00720R000800150002-5
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 27, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 13, 2013
• Sequence Number: 2
• Publication Date: October 18, 1988
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Declassified and Approved For Release 2013/09/13: CIA-RDP89G00720R000800150002-5
T26931
Tue Oct 18 13:01:42 1988 Page 1
1: RYUDIP
2: 649
3: -REAGAN-SUMMIT
4:
5: Tue Oct 18 12:35:11 1988
6:
7: WHITE HOUSE RULES OUT POSSIBILITY OF A FIFTH SUMMIT
8: WASHINGTON, Oct 18, Reuter - The White House on Tuesday
9: ruled out the possibility of a fifth and final summit with
10: Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev before President Reagan leaves
11: office in January.
12: "I think it is completely ruled out. There is no planning
13: underway, no prospect for a summit," White House spokesman
14: Marlin Fitzwater told reporters when asked whether there was
15: any possibility for Reagan and Gorbachev to get together one
16: more time before the end of Reagan's term.
17: On another matter, Fitzwater said a Central Intelligence
) 1:: Agency (CIA official's harsh assessment of the nature of the
ItLSoviet threat faced by the United States following a Soviet
20: political shakeup was "totally consistent" with the views of
21: the White House.
22: "The president has good relations with General Secretary
23: Gorbachev, but the system is the same, the country is the same
24: and the threat is the same and we need to be quite aware of
25: that," Fitzwater told reporters. ,
26: Deputy CIA Director Robert Gates said in a recent speech
27: that Gorbachev faced overwhelming opposition and apathy to his
28: political reforms and it was doubtful whether he could fix the
29: staggering Soviet economy.
30: "The dictatorship of the Cbmmunist Party remains untouched
31: and untouchable," Gates said following the shakeup in Politburo
32: membership orchastrated by Gorbachev.
33: Fitzwater said Gates' comments were "totally consistent
34: with what we've been saying in terms of our policy toward the
35: Soviet Union."
36: He said Reagan and Defence Secretary Frank Carlucci had
37: often pointed out in speeches that "action speaks louder than
38: words from the Soviets and what we want to see is a reduction
39: in their defence budget as the best indicator of a change in
40: policy with regard to their defence posture."
41: Fitzwater said Gates' comments were "totally consistent
42: with that and quite correctly point out the things that we need
43: to be very concerned about in dealing with the Soviet Union."
44: Reagan and Gorbachev have held four summits, in Geneva,
45: Reyjkavik, Washington and Moscow.
46: REUTER IA SJ
47: NNNN
48:
Declassified and Approved For Release 2013/09/13: CIA-RDP89G00720R000800150002-5