Date: May to November, 1984.
Source: "SPACE. Konstantin Chernenko: Excerpts
from Speeches, Replies and Interviews",
Soviet Life magazine, April 1985,
pages 16-17.
Urgent steps are necessary before the menacing process of militarizing outer space becomes irreversible. In this question there should be no room for propagandistic tricks or for attempts at ensuring temporary advantages for oneself. Preventing outer space from being militarized is a problem that is important to all humankind.
Reply to an Appeal by American Scientists, May 19, 1994
The question now is this: Either the militarization of space will be prevented or else It will become the source of a formidable danger suspended over all humankind.
As regards the Soviet Union, it has consistently advocated outer space remaining peaceful. Striving to resolve the task, the USSR last year had already assumed a unilateral commitment not to put antisatellite weapons in space; introducing, in other words, a unilateral moratorium on such launchings for as long as other states, including the U.S., keep abstaining from placing antisatellite weapons of any type in space. It goes without saying that the commitment also covers test launchings of antisatellite weapons.
This moratorium announced by the Soviet Union continues in operation. At the same time, with aN its useful-ness, we regard the moratorium only as a first step toward the total prohibition of antisatellite weapons, including the liquidation of such systems already in existence. It is precisely for this reason that wo propose to the United States to embark without delay on official talks with a view toward achieving an agreement to this effect.
The Soviet Union's specific proposals on this question are well known; they enjoy the support of an overwhelming majority of the UN member states.
Reply to Joseph Kingsbury-Smith. June 12, 1984
What subject does the Soviet Union propose to discuss at the talks? The subject is how to preclude the spread of the arms race into outer space and fully renounce space strike systems, including antisatellite weapons. In other words, the aim is to prevent a war threat to Earth from outer space, and to outer space from Earth and from space itself....
Such an agreement would not only prevent the arms race in outer space, but, what is no less important, would facilitate the solution of questions of limiting and reducing other strategic armaments. I would like to emphasize that
The problem of space armaments cannot be resolved by half or by one-quarter. It is impossible, for instance, to ban one type of antisatellite weapon and allow another, or to ban only antisatellite weapons and to give the green light, so to say. to other types of space weaponry.
In both instances the point at issue is the same race in space armaments.
Interview with Pravda, September 2, 1964
Outer space should not be an arena of military rivalry, but an arena of peaceful cooperation among states. Irrespective of their social systems.
Both our state and our party ore convinced that it Is vital to ensure that space be used for peaceful purposes and only peaceful purposes. This is the aim of our proposals on talks to prevent the militarization of outer space.
An agreement on this problem would be vitally important for all of humanity. Moreover, it could infuse Soviet-American relations with the elements of mutual trust, which they so badly need.
Speech in the Kremlin, September 5, 1984
We all live on one planet, or we all share one house, so to speak. We must all see to it that there are as few explosives in this house as possible.
Interview with the National Broadcasting Company, November 18, 1984