US has right to 'park' missiles: Schmidt

January 18, 1982

Chancellor Helmut Schmidt says the United States could station new medium-range nuclear missiles in West Germany even if Bonn withdrew its support for the deployment.

Mr. Schmidt was defending his support for NATO plans to deploy the missiles beginning in 1983. Western diplomats said the US was entitled, as a winner of World War II, to equip its forces in West Germany with whatever arms it chose. Although Bonn was always consulted, it had no right of veto.