OFFICIAL SAYS REAGAN AGAINST EARLY SDI DEPLOYMENT
A senior Defense Department official
said he believed President Reagan has decided against an early
deployment of the controversial anti-missile defense system
known as "Star Wars."
    But the official, Assistant Defense Secretary Richard
Perle, told a luncheon Reagan could decide within a few weeks
to adopt a less restrictive interpretation of the 1972
Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) treaty to justify a move towards
wider "Star Wars" testing and development.
    "I think the president has made a decision not to proceed
with an early deployment of SDI," said Perle, referring to the
Strategic Defense Initiative, as Reagan's anti-missile project
is formally called.
   
 Reuter
