Letter from Sens. Symms and Mack to President Bush

United States Senate

WASHINGTON, DC 20510

May 11, 1989

Hon. George Bush

The White House

Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President:

Last October 18, the Senate overwhelmingly adopted a Sense of the Senate Resolution expressing our concern about the impact on Western security of various types of credit flows and debt reschedulings to the Soviet bloc. We have now reintroduced the resolution, on May 4, and we will shortly move forward once again to place the Senate on record opposing a liberal policy of financial support to economically troubled East bloc governments.

We are concerned, moreover, that economic and financial concessions to the Soviets may be under consideration as a diplomatic tool for use by your Administration. We do not believe the Soviets have commenced any genuine reciprocation in Central America or the Warsaw Pact, nor do we believe there is any reason for optimism in all the talk about the economic restructuring of socialism. Without private property and competitive capital markets, transparency, and a genuinely free pricing system foe goods and services, economic efficiencies are illusory. We urge you to proceed cautiously in this area.

We wish to consult with the Administration on these issues at the earliest opportunity, and we hope no policy initiatives will be presented to the Soviets until the National Security Review, NSR-3, has had full interagency review.

Sincerely,

Steve Symms

United States Senator

Connie Mack

United States Senator