Reagan Cheered, Jeered in Talk to Europe Parliament : U.S. Policies Draws Fire of Hecklers

STRASBOURG, France — As a third of the European Parliament jeered, waved protest signs or walked out today, President Reagan accused the Soviets, wartime allies turned adversaries, of trying to “spread their dominance by force” and argued that his “Star Wars” program offers the best promise of perpetuating the 40 years of peace since V-E Day.

In a televised speech, the President was heckled by several protesters who pounded their hands on their desks and held up banners reading “Hands Off Nicaragua”’ and “Cruise No Pershing”--a reference to new, medium-range U.S. missiles stationed in Europe.

Reagan, who was applauded by most of the audience, ignored the protesters at first but responded when a chorus of boos and desk-pounding greeted his declaration there were “Soviet efforts to profit from and stimulate regional conflicts in Central America.”

Reagan paused, grimaced and interjected: “They haven’t been there. I have.”

30 Walk Out

During one noisy outburst about midway through his speech, about 30 parliamentarians--most of them members of the British Labor Party--walked out of the assembly hall. Reagan smiled and said: “You know, I’ve learned something useful. Maybe if I talk long enough in my own Congress, some of those will walk out.”

The remaining audience erupted in loud applause. Observers said about a third of the European Parliament’s 434 members took part in the protest throughout Reagan’s 45-minute speech.

Reagan had to raise his voice at times to make himself heard over the din.

Immediately to his left, a member waved a red cloth banner urging a nuclear freeze. Another held up a poster reading, “No Star Wars.”

When he completed reading his prepared text, Reagan was loudly applauded when he ad-libbed this rejoinder to his hecklers: “We’ve seen evidence here of your faith in democracy, in the ability of some to speak up freely as they preferred to speak. And yet I can’t help but remind all of us that some who take advantage of that right of democracy seem unaware that if the government that they would advocate became reality, no one would have that freedom to speak up again.”

Hailed Europe’s Liberation

Reagan hailed “the liberation of Europe from tyrants who had seized this continent and plunged it into a terrible war,” and the 40 years of uninterrupted peace that have followed V-E Day.

While warning of a dangerous new turn in a Soviet nuclear buildup, he also sent Soviet President Mikhail S. Gorbachev an anniversary message asking him to join in working to “overcome the differences between us” and make progress toward world peace and “eliminating nuclear weapons from the face of the earth.”

White House spokesman Larry Speakes said Washington and Moscow had previously agreed to exchange V-E Day messages, but for unknown reasons, none had arrived from the Soviets.

Later, however, the Soviet press agency Tass released a message from Gorbachev saying that the most important lesson of World War II “is that a responsible approach to preserving peace and strengthening international security is required from all states and their leaders.” Gorbachev said his country is prepared to cooperate in order to prevent nuclear war and eliminate nuclear weapons.

After about four hours in France, Reagan flew to Lisbon for the wrap-up of a 10-day European tour that began in West Germany on May 1 for a seven-nation economic summit meeting. Reagan is to return to Washington on Friday.