Experts Praise Carter's Cuba Speech

Political experts at Harvard yesterday said President Carter's Monday night address on Soviet military presence in Cuba will have little effect on the Senate ratification of the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT II) treaty or the military balance in the Caribbean.

They added, however, that Carter's renewed call for ratification was politically sound.

In his address, Carter outlined a plan including increased military preparedness and economic aid in the Caribbean to offset Soviet activity in Cuba.

Samuel P. Huntington, Thomson Professor of Government, said yesterday Carter "made the points that had to be made," and added the speech "will not have an impact on the basic SALT II lineup in the Senate."

Nevermind

Jorge I. Dominguez, associate professor of Government and a specialist in Latin American affairs, said yesterday Carter deserves credit for emphasizing that "nothing going on in Cuba is of sufficient import to affect SALT II."

However, Adam B. Ulam, Gurner Professor of History and Political Science, said yesterday Carter "probably decided he was going to make a speech before he knew what to say." He added the message only "dampens prospects for SALT II ratification."

Ulam added the specific steps Carter outlined to counter-balance Soviet presence are merely "cosmetic measures."

John Womack, Jr., professor of History, said yesterday the establishment of the Rapid Deployment Force, one of the military measures Carter described in his address would be "extremely difficult" without more cooperation from Latin American nations than the United States has received in the past.

Soviet leader Leonid I. Brezhnev's assurance that the 3000 Soviet troops in Cuba would not be converted from a training unit into a combat force was a "modest, but nonetheless important achievement" for Carter, Dominguez said.

Huntington agreed, saying that he believed the Soviet Union "would not renege" on its guarantee.

Ulam said the assurance is "of very little value." He added, "we really can't do anything about" the Soviet presence in Cuba.

All the experts said the Soviets in Cuba pose a threat to the United States in their capacity to teach Cubans advanced military techniques, not as potential aggressors.

Ulam said the capability of the Soviet brigade is "not significant," but that the United States should have been more vocal about the problem during the height of Cuba's African intervention in 1975-6.

The Soviet training in Cuba "has made it possible for the Cubans to prevail overseas," Dominguez said