Arms Manufacturers: U.S. Embassies Push Sales

U.S. arms manufacturers selling their wares to foreign countries can now count on the full endorsement and active support of the U.S. government. A, cable from Undersecretary of State James Buckley in early April to all U.S. embassies and other missions abroad instructs mission personnel to view arms sales by U.S. firms as "a positive and increasingly important component of our global security posture and a key instrument of our foreign policy."

U.S. missions may act as a kind of agent or consultant for these newly-consecrated companies, providing "assistance in arranging appointments with host government officials and guidance on which officials to contact" as well as "general advice on tactics for securing sales in the host country."

The Buckley cable supersedes guidelines the Carter Administration established "to restrain conventional arms transfer." The Carter policy, as spelled out in an August, 1977 cable to all overseas mission personnel. stated that government officials "should not facilitate the sale of significant combat equipment by providing such services as advice on tactics for making a sale, assistance in appointments with host government officials, or special support of any kind which might imply that the USG (U.S. Government) endorses a particular sale.

The current change in policy is likely to boost U.S. military sales abroad. which during fiscal year 1980 reached $15.2 billion. Although the breakdown by company of those sales is not available for 1980. in fiscal year 1979, McDonnell Douglas led all U.S. arms manufacturers, with sales of $639 million. General Dynamics was second with $518 million, and Northrop weighed in third, with sales of $472 million. The U.S. is the world's largest seller of arms.