COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN RELATIONS UNITED STATES SENATE NINETY-FOURTH CONGRESS SECOND SESSION ON THE DRAFT CONVENTION ON THE PROHIBITION OF MILI- 66-312 JANUARY 21, 1976 Printed for the use of the Committee on Foreign Relations U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE WASHINGTON: 1976 COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN RELATIONS JOHN SPARKMAN, Alabama, Chairman MIKE MANSFIELD, Montana GEORGE S. MCGOVERN, South Dakota JOSEPH R. BIDEN, JR., Delaware CLIFFORD P. CASE, New Jersey PAT M. HOLT, Chief of Staff SUBCOMMITTEE ON OCEANS AND INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENT CLAIBORNE PELL, Rhode Island, Chairman JOSEPH R. BIDEN, JR., Delaware ROBERT P. GRIFFIN, Michigan ARTHUR M. KUHL, Staff Associate DAVID KEANEY, Staff Associate (II) AG/2 28 apr 76 KF26 .F6625 1976 CONTENTS 314 Statements by: Anderson, Dwayne S., Deputy Director for Negotiations and Arms Gude, Hon. Gilbert, A Representative in Congress from the 8th Con- Weiss, Edith Brown, Assistant Professor of Civil Engineering and Insertions for the record: Series of correspondence between Congressmen Gude and Fraser and ACDA responses to additional questions of Senator Pell Exchange of correspondence between Senator Pell and the Depart ment of Defense concerning proposed environmental modification 22 Prepared statement of Dr. Edith Brown Weiss--- Appendix: Text of S. Res. 281, 92d Cong., 2d sess_. 25th Pugwash Conference "Development, Resources and World Se- 288 33 34 45 PROHIBITING HOSTILE USE OF ENVIRONMENTAL MODIFICATION TECHNIQUES WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 21, 1976 UNITED STATES SENATE, SUBCOMMITTEE ON OCEANS AND INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENT, COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN RELATIONS, Washington, D.C. The subcommittee met at 3:05 p.m., in room 2441, Dirksen Senate Office Building, Senator Claiborne Pell (chairman of the subcommittee) presiding. Present: Senator Pell. Senator PELL. The Subcommittee on Oceans and International Environment will come to order. OPENING STATEMENT It was with very real satisfaction that on August 21, 1975, I participated in the tabling by the United States at the Geneva negotiations of parallel drafts of a convention on the Prohibition of Military or Any Other Hostile Use of Environmental Modification Techniques by the chief delegates of the United States and the Soviet Union. The tabling of the draft convention came just a bit over 2 years after the Senate in July 1973 passed by an overwhelming majority Senate Resolution 71, which I introduced, calling for negotiation of a treaty banning environmental warfare. And I am most appreciative of the courtesy of the administration in inviting me to participate in the tabling. Those of us in the Congress who took the lead in convincing the administration that it is far easier to nip an arms race in the bud than to attempt to slow it after it has gained momentum, applaud the efforts being made by the United States and the Soviet Union. It is my fervent hope that a treaty can be concluded early this year. The subcommittee is very pleased to have the various witnesses who will speak on this subject with us today. The purpose of the hearing is to receive a status report and comments on the progress made on the convention in the negotiations last fall in Geneva. The subcommittee would also like to hear what problems have arisen, what plans the administration has for the spring session, and what the prospects, in their view, are for early conclusion of an agreement. In particular, the subcommittee would like to know whether the treaty might be strengthened by deleting the language limiting the prohibition against environmental warfare to those instances in which the effects are "widespread, long-lasting, or severe", by expand (1) |