Foreign Relations of the United States, 1969–1976, Volume V, United Nations, 1969–1972

22. Memorandum From the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger) to President Nixon¹

Washington, September 5, 1970.

SUBJECT

• Interim Report from Your UN Commission

Your Executive Order required the Commission to present to you prior to September 15 an Interim Report. The Commission will give final approval to the report at a meeting in Washington on the 10th of September. Current indications are that it will be a useful and realistic document which does not attempt to provide answers but indicates the main lines the Commission will pursue looking toward its final report to you next April.

The Chairman of the Commission, Henry Cabot Lodge, would be glad to present the report to you personally if you wish to give the Commission’s work the extra publicity boost that such a meeting would provide. Your meeting with Lodge need be no longer than required to permit the report to change hands and have appropriate press photographic coverage.

While desirable, I don’t believe this is necessary for what will be only an interim report. Furthermore you had indicated you wished publicity for the appointment of five youth members of the Commission, on which Bob Finch and I have sent you a separate memorandum. If you see these young people it should be September 9 or 10, before the meeting of the Commission (and therefore before the interim report is ready, so the two events cannot be combined).² I see no reason for you to take time out twice in a five-day period for the UN Commission.

In any event, Lodge hopes that the report can be released by the White House Press Office no later than September 14 to serve as the basis for a number of meetings that the Commission is holding around the country and to permit him to discuss the report in depth at a speech he is scheduled to make to a distinguished UN Commission dinner in New York on the evening of the 14th.³ I see no problem in releasing the interim report based on the draft we have seen. I would of course check back with you if the final version had any troublesome elements.

Recommendations:⁴

1. That I receive the interim report from Cabot Lodge on your behalf on September 12, 13, or 14.

Approve

Disapprove, prefer to receive report personally

2. That you authorize the release of the report by the White House Press Office.

Approve

Disapprove

1. Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 298, Agency Files, USUN, Vol. IV. No classification marking. Sent for action.
2. President Nixon announced the appointment of an additional five youth members of the Commission on September 10. (Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents, September 14, 1970, pp. 1170–1171)
3. The Commission’s interim report was released September 13. (Ibid., September 21, 1970, p. 1237)
4. The President initialed his approval of both recommendations.