WASHINGTON (AP) — The
United States and the Soviet
Union Thursday signed an
agreement in principle to limit
and possibly reduce their stock-
piles of offensive nuclear weap-
ons by the end of 1974.

President Nixon and Soviet
Communist leader Leonid I.
Brezhnev raised their cham-
pagne glasses in toasts to suc-
cess at the ceremony in the
White House East Room.

The agreement, the out-
standing accomplishment of
their week-long summit, was
forged by Nixon and Brezhnev
earlier at Camp David, the

presidential retreat in the
mountains of Maryland. It is
designed to spur negotiators for
the two countries at the re-
cessed strategic arms limita-
tion talks (SALT) in Geneva.

For the first time, the two
nations committed themselves
in principle to actual reductions
of their nuclear weaponry as
well as to permanent limita-
tions. Also significantly, the
United States evidently is bow-
ing to Soviet objections to on-
site inspections.

One of the seven stated prin-
ciples provides that ‘‘national
technical means”’ be the sys-
tem of verifying whether Wash-
ington and Moscow were living
up to a missile limitation.

Surveillance of multiple inde-
pendently targeted warheads
MIRVS evidently would be re-
stricted mostly to observation
by radar and spy satellite while
in flight tests.

Henry A. Kissinger, the Pres-
ident’s national security ad-
viser, briefing newsmen, said
that ‘‘those MIRV agreements
 that are not verifiable by na-
tional technical means would
be difficult to reconcile’ with
the objective of restricting
complex nuclear offensive
weapons.

The two nations agreed in an-
other provision that efforts by
one or the other to obtain a nu-
clear advantage would be in-
consistent with the goal of
 strengthening peaceful rela-
tions.

The arms limitation envis-
ioned by the end of next year
would include not only numbers
but the quality of the missiles.

Nixon and Brezhnev also
agreed that limitation on
strategic offensive arms must
be subject to “adequate veri-
fication.”” Both nations would
 be permitted to modernize and
replace weapons only under
conditions to be agreed upon at
Geneva.

At the same time, Nixon and
Brezhnev signed a 10-year pact
to expand cooperation between

the two countries on peaceful
uses of atomic energy. It suc-

(Page Two Column Six)
 
WASHINGTON (UPI) — President
Nixon and Soviet leader Leonid I.
Brezhnev pledged today to avoid
military confrontations and threats of
force that might lead to nuclear war
between their two nations.

In a policy declaration, the leaders of
the two nuclear superpowers agreed to
“immediately enter into urgent con-
sultations with each other’’ should the
risk of a nuclear conflict arise.

Nixon and Brezhnev signed the
agreement —the eighth since the start
of their summit talks —in a ceremony in
the East Room of the White House a few
hours before their scheduled departure
aboard the presidential jetliner for San
 Clemente, Calif., for the conclusion of
their week-long conference.

In the agreement, the two leaders
promised that the United States and the
Soviet Union ‘‘will act in such a manner
as to prevent the development of
situations capable of causing a
dangerous exacerbation of their
relations, as to avoid military con-
frontations, and to exclude the outbreak
of nuclear war between them and
between either of the parties and other
countries.”’

The accord also calls for the
signatories to proceed from the premise
that each will refrain ‘‘from the threat
or use of force against the other party,
 against the allies of the other party, and
against other countries, in cir-
cumstances which may endanger in-
ternational peace and security.”

In advance of the signing, Nixon
briefed congressional leaders of both
parties on the declaration, which is a
statement of policy —not a treaty — and
therefore does not require Senate
ratification.

Presidential adviser Henry A.
Kissinger said the intent of the doctrine
was ‘‘to prevent the outbreak of nuclear
war.”

The decision of the two leaders to hold
a third summit conference in as many
years was announced at a lavish
banquet at the Soviet Embassy. In a
jovial atmosphere, Nixon and Brezhnev
dined and toasted each other after
signing pacts earlier in the day to speed
nuclear arms negotiations and
cooperate in research on peaceful uses
of nuclear energy.

Before they boarded the ‘‘Spirit of 76”’
for a late afternoon flight to the Western
White House, Brezhnev arranged to
meet with 40 American businessmen to
sell them on expanded trade with

Russia.
(See 2 on Page Two)
 