American Notes NUCLEAR WEAPONS

The Soviet Union occasionally uses the waters of the northern Pacific as a proving ground for its arsenal of missiles. But when the Soviets test-fired two long-range missiles last week, the U.S. had cause for concern over their targets: two patches of water near Hawaii.

The Soviets tested a pair of modified SS-18s tipped with dummy warheads; one missile landed 600 miles northwest of Hawaii, while another, aimed 360 miles southwest of the islands, apparently misfired. The Pentagon claimed the firings were the closest Soviet missiles had come to American soil. Said Senator Malcolm Wallop, Republican of Wyoming: "The Soviets were practicing an attack on America." The Pentagon later acknowledged that a Soviet naval vessel aimed a laser beam at two American surveillance aircraft in the area, apparently to disrupt U.S. monitoring efforts. One pilot reportedly suffered temporary eye damage.