790–7

Conversation No. 790-7

Date: October 2, 1972
Time: 10:08 am - 11:18 am
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Andrei A. Gromyko, Anatoliy F. Dobrynin, William P. Rogers, Henry A.
Kissinger, Helmut (“Hal”) Sonnenfeldt, and Viktor M. Sukhodrev; members of the press and the
White House photographer were present at the beginning of the meeting.

Photograph session
-Arrangements

Gromyko's schedule
-New York
-United Nations [UN]

[Photographic session]
-[General conversation]
-Leonid I. Brezhnev’s forthcoming visit to US
-Camp David
-Compared to Caucasus resorts
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Nov-03)


Gromyko's Experiences
-Soviet Union embassy appointment
-Konstantin A. Umansky

US-Soviet Union negotiations
-Moscow meeting, May 1972
-Past areas of discussions
-Progress
-Trade
-Environment
-Science
-Health
-Arms Control
-Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty [SALT] treaty signing, October 3, 1972
-Importance
-European Security Conference

Refreshments

US – Soviet Union negotiations
-Past areas of discussions
-Mutual Balanced Forced Reductions [MBFR]
-SALT I
-SALT II
-Potential difficulties
-The President’s previous meetings with Gromyko
-Executive Office Building [EOB]
-Issues
-Trade
-Environment
-Trade
-Health
-Arms Control
-European Security
-SALT
-Vietnam

Greetings
-Leonid I. Brezhnev
-Aleksei N. Kosygin
-Nikolai V. Podgorny
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Tape Subject Log
(rev. Nov-03)


Soviet Union leaders' reaction to May 1972 meetings with the President
-Moscow Meeting
-Importance
-US-Soviet relations

SALT agreements
-Forthcoming SALT talks
-Potential difficulties
-Soviet Union intentions


European Affairs
-[Berlin] treaties
-Federal Republic of Germany [FRG]
-Soviet Union
-Poland
-Effect
-US role
-European security conference
-Kissinger
-Moscow meeting
-Rogers
-US
-The President
-Moscow meeting, May 1972
-Potential success

Forthcoming election in US

SALT II
-Timing for new discussions
-1972 election
-The President’s schedule
-November 21, 1972
-Announcement
-October 16, 1972

European security conference
-Timing for discussions
-Announcement
-October 17, 1972
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Tape Subject Log
(rev. Nov-03)

-MBFR
-November 22, 1972
-SALT II

Vietnam negotiations
-Paris talks
-Kissinger
-Le Duc Tho
-Public discussions
-The President’s view
-Progress
-North Vietnam's attitude
-US attitude
-North Vietnam’s attitude
-Present situation contrasted with 1968
- 1968 election
-Assumptions
-Pressure on US to make a deal
-Settlement timing
-1972 election
-1972 election as mandate
-US attitude
-Rogers
-Kissinger
-US proposals
-Sacrifices
-North Vietnamese
-Loss of life
-US
-South Vietnamese
-North Vietnamese
-Concern
-The President's meeting
-Brezhnev
-Podgorny
-Kosygin
-Gromyko
-Vietnam as agenda item
-Soviet Union leadership efforts
-1972 election
-Soviet Union position
-US government efforts to end war
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NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

Tape Subject Log
(rev. Nov-03)

-Post-Vietnam war US-Soviet Union relations
-War's effect on international atmosphere
-UN
-Agenda

Middle East
-Assessment of situation
-Gromyko’s view
-Complications
-Settlement
-The President's Moscow meeting
-Progress
-Big powers' role
-The President’s view
-Difficulty of issues
-Vietnam
-SALT
-European security
-Middle East historic situation
-Political rhetoric in US
-1972 election
-US political considerations
-1972 election
-US political considerations
-Domestic leaders
-Strength
-The President's political opponents
-Post-1972 election possibilities of settlement
-Present situation continuation
-Truce unpredictability
-Israelis
-Syrians
-Basis for settlement
-Israel
-Possible Soviet Union role
-Influence
-Possible US role
-Influence
-US goal
-Potential progress
-Rogers
-Political climate
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Tape Subject Log
(rev. Nov-03)

-Munich Olympics killings
-Lebanon
-Retaliation
-Outlook for next few months
-Pre-Munich Israeli statements
-Flexibility
-Possible interim solutions
-Suez Canal
-Discussions with Egypt
-Yigal Allon
-Moshe Dayan
-Interim settlement [UN Resolution 242]
-Possible withdrawal and cease-fire
-Israel's interests
-Timing for negotiations
-Arms
-Recent retaliation
-US priority
-Israel
-Arabs
-Points of view
-Munich
-Egypt
-View of terrorists’ action
-Israel's response
-Possible disassociation with the Fedayeen
-Prospects for change
-The President’s view
-Soviet response
-Settlement
-Soviet Union view
-US
-Peace

Far East

Middle East
-Difficulties
-Superpower clients
-Munich
-Israel's reaction
-The President's view
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Tape Subject Log
(rev. Nov-03)

-Search for solution
-Timing
-Rogers
-Munich
-Political situation
-US influence
-US-USSR desire for solution

Far East
-Meeting of Japanese and People's Republic of China [PRC] leaders
-Statements
-Tone
-Soviet Union principles
-Soviet Union relations with Japan
-PRC
-Soviet Union relations with PRC
-PRC-Japan relationships
-Improvement
-Soviet Union
-US
-Gromyko's statement
-US objectives
-PRC
-Normalization of relations
-Japan
-US treaty commitment
-Japan-PRC relations
-US view
-Reduction of conflict
-Historical context
-Japan
-Military
-Economic potential
-US attitude
-Kakuei Tanaka
-PRC
-PRC’s interests
-Japan
-Soviet Union and US interests
-Communiqué
-Compared to Shanghai Communiqué
-Vietnam
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Tape Subject Log
(rev. Nov-03)

-Middle East
-Economic potential
-Great Power involvement
-Compared to Vietnam
-Japan
-Status as an economic power
-Soviet Union
-US
-PRC
-Population
-Importance
-US-USSR efforts

US-Soviet Union relations
-Moscow talks
-Henry M. (“Scoop”) Jackson amendment
-May 1972 summit
-Rogers
-UN
-Soviet Union assessment
-Forthcoming dinner for Gromyko
-Visit of Soviet Leadership
-[Brezhnev]
-Timing
-Message for Brezhnev
-Correspondence
-Moscow meeting, May 1972
-SALT II
-European security conference
-Middle East
-Vietnam
-US-Soviet Union grain deal
-New York Times article
-Prices
-Communists
-Capitalists
-Trade agreements
-Exit visas from Soviet Union
-US political considerations
-US public comments
-Rogers
-Significance of issue
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Tape Subject Log
(rev. Nov-03)


Escort

The President, Gromyko et al. left at 11:18 am.