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 consultations 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
confrontations, 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 circumstances which
may endanger international 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 ar-
ranged to meet with 40 American
businessmen to sell them on
expanded trade with Russia.

Raising their glasses in a red and
gold trimmed banquet room
Thursday night, Nixon and Brezhnev
pledged a continued, effort to expand
SovietAmerican friendship.

i “ . The Soviet Union's line at

improving relations with the United
States is not some temporary
phenomenon,” the stocky Brezhnev
said. ‘‘It is a firm and consistent line
reflecting the permanent principles
of Soviet foreign policy ... [t is a line
that rests on the full support of our
people.”
 
PPV PEELE YB RENAE CES?

WASHINGTON (UPI) — The federal
government says it has spent nearly $2
million improving President Nixon’s
homes in'Florida and California, all of it
relating to ‘“‘security.”

The White House also disclosed that
businessman Robert H. Abplanalp, who
helped the President buy his San Clemen-
te, Calif., retreat, has been getting some
money back in the form of rent associated
with Nixon’s Key Biscayne, Fla., place.

A month ago the White House had
listed $39,000 in federal funds for im-
proving the Western White House at San
Clemente since Nixon bought it in 1969.

Last week, after a further search of
record, it raised this figure to $460,302.

On Thursday, General Services Ad-
 ministration (GSA), the government’s
housekeeping agency, said a still more ex-
tensive audit put the total federal expen-
diture at San Clemente at $703,367 over
four fiscal years beginning July 1, 1969.
This included only the residence there,
not the White House office space.

GSA listed for the first time the federal
expenditure for improvements, equip-
ment, operation and maintenance at the
White House complex at Key Biscayne,
including both residence and office
space— $1,180,522, spread over five fiscal
years beginning July 1, 1968.

Included in the Key Biscayne figure
was $161,463 for renting two houses in the
complex for the Secret Service and White
House communications staff.

The White House said one of these
 houses is owned by Abplanalp and the
other is owned in the name of Edwin H.
Underwood, trustee for the Indiana
National Bank, Indianapolis.

The White House said all of the tax-
payers’ money spent in San Clemente and
Key Biscayne was for security-related im-
provements and that all work was done at
the request of the Secret Service, not the
President.

The GSA data showed items such as
$53,644 in fiscal 1970 for interior security
and communications at San Clemente. It
also included $3,303 in fiscal 1970 for golf
carts for the Secret Service patrol at Key
Biscayne.

Two years later there appears another
item of $5,230 for three Secret Service golf
carts there.
 