Professor Helps Lead U.S.-Soviet Talks

Several American experts on defense and Soviet Affairs, partly led by Paul Doty, director of the Kennedy School of Government's Center for Science and International Affairs, yesterday began a four-day round of talks with high-level Soviet officials.

While the participants declined to discuss details of the unofficial talks until next week when they are completed. Robert Daley, director of public affairs for the American group, said that discussion will focus on regional conflicts, especially in the Middle East, and on troubled areas of economic relations.

The approximately 20 members of the "Dartmouth Group"--a private group which has met annually with Soviet officials since the early '60s at Dartmouth College's Hanover Inn in Hanover, N H --hopes to turn around the Soviets' recent cold attitude toward the U.S. government, Daley said.

Clear Deeds

In March, after the two groups had met, the Soviets announced that they would not return to suspended nuclear arms talks until the Reagan administration demonstrated with "clear deeds" a more serious attitude toward reaching an agreement.

At the time, members of the Dartmouth Group labeled the Soviet attitude as unexpectedly negative, primarily because it came only one month after some relatively moderate public remarks by the new Soviet leader Konstantin U. Chernenko and some less strident comments to two visiting U.S. senators.

Alternatives

The group is now "looking to see if there are any other alternatives to not talking," Daley said. He added that in yesterday's opening plenary session, remarks were made by the chairmen of each side, but he refused to discuss the details of the speeches.

State Department officials refused to comment yesterday on the talks.

Olympics

Some professors contacted yesterday, however, said the effectiveness of such unofficial talks at this time would be limited, pointing to the common Soviets practice of conducting major moves and discussions through officials channels.

Baird Professor of History Richard E. Pipes said that he remained skeptical over the chances that the meeting will make a mark on Soviet American relations, adding that some of the major issues which should be discussed include Poland, the Soviet walkout of the Geneva talks, and 1984 Summer Olympic Games.

He added, however, that the Americans should not ask the Soviets to reconsider their decision not to participate in this summer's Olympics. "It's over and final, and it's debasing to plead with them," he said.

Norman Cousins, editor emeritus of the Saturday Review, and David Matthew, former secretary for the Department of Health, Education and Welfare in the Ford Administration, led the American delegation, while the 12-member Soviet group is headed by Stanislav Borisov, the Russian deputy minister of finance.

Doty chairs a subcommittee of the Dartmouth Group which deals with arms control and the "search for security."

Also present for the Russians is Georgy Arbatov, a member of the Communist Party Central Committee, who earlier this month addressed the K. School's "Avoiding Nuclear War" project.

Professor of Government Joseph S. Nye, who helped organize the visit said it was aimed at discussing ways to "stamp out" possible causes of nuclear war at various stages of a crisis, and investigating approaches to managing and controlling crises that might occur.