Foreign Relations of the United States, 1969–1976, Volume XVI, Soviet Union, August 1974–December 1976

41. Transcript of Telephone Conversation Between Secretary of State Kissinger and David Binder of The New York Times¹

Washington, September 21, 1974, 3:21 p.m.

K: Why are you calling me instead of the Danish Ambassador?

B: I haven’t talked to him lately. I wonder if you could tell me something about the Gromyko meeting?

K: We reviewed the whole relationship to see if we could make progress.

B: Did you see any signs for progress with SALT and the Middle East.

K: This is off-the-record. I think our relations are in pretty good shape.

B: Is this trade thing locked up?

K: It will take another week.

B: Is this with the Russians or with Jackson?

K: The Russian thing is in check.

B: It is really to settle it between the administration and Jackson. And that will take a week.

K: I guess. I don’t know.

B: How about the Middle East? Is that a tour d’horizon?

K: Yes, it is a tour d’horizon. Ok. I have to run.

B: What about Argentina. Is that something ______?

K: It is in terms of the OAS meeting.

B: Ok. Thank you. Goodbye.

K: Goodbye.²

1. Source: Department of State, Electronic Reading Room, Kissinger Transcripts of Telephone Conversations. No classification marking. The blank underscore indicates an omission in the original.
2. In his article on the meetings between Ford and Gromyko, published in The New York Times the next morning, Binder reported: “There has been mutual interest in continuing relations between the two countries that were developed by President Richard M. Nixon and the Soviet party chief, Leonid I. Brezhnev, a high official of the Ford administration observed. The official said after the meeting that relations with the Soviet Union were ‘in pretty good shape,’ although more time was needed to work out an agreement on strategic arms. He also said he expected the Administration to reach agreement with Senator Henry Jackson, the Washington Democrat, on a package linking adoption of a new trade bill with freer emigration from the Soviet Union. Agreement on this problem was reached earlier between the United States Government and the Soviet leadership, the official added.” (David Binder, “Gromyko and Ford Complete 2 Days of Discussions,” The New York Times, September 22, 1974, p. 10)