1.
SV PAN MR. TSARAPKIN ARRIVES
0.10

2.
SV PAN MR. STELLE ARRIVES
0.16

3.
GTV PRESSMEN WAIT OUTSIDE
0.23

4.
SV TO CU MR. TSARAPKIN AND MR. STELLE LEAVE AFTER MEETING
0.30

5.
CU PAN FROM MR. STELLE TO MR. TSARAPKIN
0.42

6.
GTV JOURNALISTS LEAVE
0.46



Initials DR/S/MGT/EEH



Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved

Background: IN GENEVA, TODAY (THURSDAY) THE UNITED STATES AND THE SOVIET UNION SIGNED AN AGREEMENT ON A WASHINGTON-MOSCOW "HOT LINE", PROVIDING AN EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS LINK BETWEEN EAST AND WEST.

MR.SEMYON TSARAPKIN, CHIEF SOVIET DELEGATE, AND MR.CHARLES STELLE, HIS AMERICAN COUNTERPART, SIGNED THIS FIRST CONCRETE AGREEMENT OF THE DISARMAMENT CONFERENCE.

THE CEREMONY WAS IN A CONFERENCE ROOM ADJOINING THE COUNCIL CHAMBER OF THE PALAIS DES NATIONS, EUROPEAN HEADQUARTERS OF THE UNITED NATIONS, WHERE THE DISARMAMENT CONFERENCE MEETS.

AGREEMENT ON THE DIRECT COMMUNICATIONS LINK WAS CONTAINED IN A "MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING" BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES AND THE SOVIET UNION TOGETHER WITH AN ANNEX COVERING TECHNICAL ARRANGEMENTS.

THE TERMINAL POINTS IN WASHINGTON AND MOSCOW WILL BE LINKED BY A TWO-WAY WIRE TELEGRAPH CIRCUIT ROUTED LONDON-COPENHAGEN-STOCKHOLM-HELSINKI.

IN ADDITION THERE WILL BE A FULL-TIME TWO-WAY RADIO TELEGRAPH CIRCUIT ROUTED OVER TANGIER TO BE USED FOR SERVICE COMMUNICATIONS AND FOR COORDINATION OF OPERATIONS BETWEEN THE TERMINAL POINTS.

U.S.DELEGATION SOURCES SAID IT WAS TECHNICALLY FEASIBLE THE LINK COULD BE ESTABLISHED WITHIN 60 DAYS.EVERY MESSAGE RECEIVED BY THE U.S.WOULD GO IMMEDIATELY TO THE PRESIDENT, AND ALL AMERICAN MESSAGES WOULD HAVE GOVERNMENT AUTHORISATION.

THE WIRE LINK, OVER 4,823 MILES (7480 KILOMETRES) TO MOSCOW, WOULD COST SLIGHTLY MORE TO THE AMERICANS THAN TO THE SOVIET SIDE.

U.S.SOURCES SAID TECHNICIANS ON BOTH SIDES WERE CONFIDENT THAT CODING DEVICES WOULD MAKE COMMUNICATIONS COMPLETELY PRIVATE, AND PREVENT UNAUTHORIZED USE OF THE LINK.