The Nation : Chemical Weapons OKd

President Reagan informed Congress that production of new chemical weapons will go forward. The weapons, which are estimated to cost $200 million by the end of fiscal 1987, would be the first manufactured in the United States since 1969. Reagan certified that the Administration had met several conditions set by Congress, including consulting NATO allies. The new weapons are called “binary,” because they contain two non-lethal substances that turn into deadly gas when mixed as the shell is fired or the bomb is dropped.