SALT II, 1972–1980
1. Note From the Soviet Union to the United States
Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 495, President’s Trip Files, Dobrynin/Kissinger, Vol. 14. Top Secret. A handwritten note reads: “Handed to K[issinger] by D[obrynin] 1:30 pm, 10/24/72.” No further record of the meeting has been found.
2. Minutes of a Meeting of the Verification Panel
Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Institutional Files (H–Files), Box H–107, Verification Panel Minutes, Originals, 3/15/72–6/4/74 [1 of 5]. Top Secret; Sensitive; Codeword. All brackets except those that indicate text not declassified are in the original. The meeting took place in the White House Situation Room. Odeen and Sonnenfeldt sent Kissinger a briefing memorandum on October 24 in which they explained: “The purpose of this meeting is to discuss the major issues underlying SALT Two and to get views on how we should proceed in the first round of SALT.” (Ibid., Box H–12, Verification Panel Meeting, 10/31/72, 1 of 3)
3. Memorandum From Helmut Sonnenfeldt of the National Security Council Staff to the President’s Assistant for National Security (Kissinger)
Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 888, SALT, SALT TWO–I–(Geneva), Nov. 21, 1972–March 1973. Secret; Sensitive; Exclusively Eyes Only. Sent for information. Brackets are in the original. Kissinger wrote on the top of the first page: “Excellent—see p. 4. HK.” The reference is to Kissinger’s handwritten note in footnote 7 below.
4. Memorandum From the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger) to President Nixon
Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 888, SALT, SALT TWO–I–(Geneva), Nov. 21, 1972–March 1973. Secret. A note on the first page indicates that the President saw the memorandum.
5. Note From the United States to the Soviet Union
Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 498, President’s Trip Files, Exchange of Notes Between Dobrynin and Kissinger, Vol. 4. No classification marking. A note on the first page reads: “Handed by K to D 12:30 pm, Tues, 11/14/72.”
6. Memorandum From Secretary of Defense Laird to President Nixon
Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Institutional Files (H–Files), Box H–013, Verification Panel Meetings, SALT, 11/14/72. Top Secret. On November 16, Deputy Secretary of State Irwin also sent Kissinger, at his request, his advice on strategy for SALT II. Irwin suggested “that we avoid putting forth detailed proposals at the first session.” (Ibid., NSC Files, Box 888, SALT, SALT TWO–I–(Geneva), November 21, 1972–March 1973)
7. National Security Decision Memorandum 197
Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Institutional Files, (H–Files), Box H–208, Policy Papers, NSDM 151–200 [Originals]. Top Secret; Sensitive. Copies were sent to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Director of Central Intelligence, and the Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission.
8. Memorandum From Helmut Sonnenfeldt of the National Security Council Staff to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger)
Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 888, SALT, SALT TWO–I–(Geneva), November 21, 1972–March 1973. Secret. Sent for urgent action. Kissinger initialed the memorandum. On the last page, an unknown hand wrote, “RTK informed 0045 hrs 5 Dec.”
9. Memorandum From Helmut Sonnenfeldt of the National Security Council Staff to the President’s Assistant for National Security (Kissinger)
Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Kissinger Office Files, Box 67, Country Files–Europe–USSR, Map Room, [Aug. 1972–May 31 1973, 1 of 3]. Confidential; Sensitive; Eyes Only. This memorandum is printed in full as Document 70 in Foreign Relations 1969–1976, Vol. XV, Soviet Union, June 1972–August 1974.
10. Backchannel Message From the Chief of the Delegation to the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (Smith) to President Nixon
Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 427, Backchannel Files, Backchannel Messages–1972–SALT. Top Secret; Immediate; Exclusive Eyes Only.
11. Memorandum From Secretary of Defense Laird to President Nixon
Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 888, SALT, SALT TWO–I–(Geneva), November 21, 1972–March 1973. Secret.
12. Memorandum for the Record
Source: National Archives, RG 218, Records of the Chairman, Moorer Diary, January 1973 to March 1973. Sensitive; Hold Close. The undated enclosure, “Bargaining Leverage Options,” is not printed. Brackets are in the original.
13. Memorandum From Philip Odeen of the National Security Council Staff to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger)
Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 888, SALT, SALT TWO–I–(Geneva), November 21, 1972–March 1973. Secret.
14. Minutes of a Meeting of the National Security Council
Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Institutional Files (H–Files), Box H–110, NSC Meeting Minutes, Originals, 1971 to 6–20–74. Top Secret; Sensitive. The meeting took place in the Cabinet Room of the White House. There is a White House tape of this meeting. (Ibid., White House Tapes, Cabinet Room, Conversation 117–2)
15. Memorandum of Conversation
Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 495, President’s Trip Files, Dobrynin/Kissinger, Vol. 15. Top Secret; Sensitive; Exclusively Eyes Only. The meeting took place in the Map Room of the White House. The memorandum of conversation was attached to an undated memorandum from Kissinger to Nixon summarizing his conversations with Dobrynin on March 6 and 8.
16. National Security Decision Memorandum 206
Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Institutional Files (H–Files), Box H–208, NSDM 201–NSDM 250, [Originals]. Top Secret; Sensitive. Copies were sent to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Director of Central Intelligence.
17. Memorandum From Philip Odeen and Helmut Sonnenfeldt of the National Security Council Staff to the President’s Assistant for National Security (Kissinger)
Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 888, SALT, SALT TWO–I–(Geneva), November 21, 1972–March 1973. Secret. Sent for action.
18. Backchannel Message From the Chief of the Delegation to the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (Johnson) to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger)
Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 427, Backchannel Files, Backchannel Messages–1973/74–SALT–Geneva. Top Secret; Immediate; Exclusive Eyes Only.
19. Memorandum From William Hyland of the National Security Council Staff to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger)
Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 889, SALT, SALT TWO–I–(Geneva), April 1973. Confidential. All brackets are in the original. The memorandum was not initialed by Hyland. Kissinger sent an undated memorandum to the President summarizing the issues and asking for guidance. The “central and most difficult issue,” Kissinger told Nixon, was whether to limit MIRV in some way, as the Soviets proposed, a decision which could “have a decisive impact on the kind of further SALT agreement we can expect to achieve.” According to an April 4 note on the undated memorandum, the President saw it. (Ibid.)
20. Backchannel Message From the Chief of the Delegation to the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (Johnson) to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger)
Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 427, Backchannel Files, Backchannel Messages–1973/74–SALT–Geneva. Top Secret; Immediate; Exclusive Eyes Only.
21. United States Proposal
Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 496, Dobrynin/Kissinger, Vol. 16, April 1973. Top Secret. A note states that the proposal was handed to Dobrynin by Kissinger on April 27.
22. Memorandum From the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (Moorer) to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger)
Source: National Archives, RG 218, Records of the Chairman, Moorer Diary, April 1973 to July 1973. Top Secret; Sensitive. Moorer sent the memorandum as an enclosure to memorandum CJCS M–44–73, dated May 2. Two additional enclosures, “Summary of JCS Approach to SALT Phase II,” undated, and “CJCS Concept and Approach to SALT,” undated, are not printed.
23. National Security Decision Memorandum 213
Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Institutional Files (H–Files), Box H–208, National Security Decision Memoranda, NSDM 201–NSDM 250, Originals. Top Secret; Sensitive. Copies were sent to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Director of Central Intelligence.
25. National Security Decision Memorandum 216
Source: Library of Congress, Manuscript Division, Kissinger Papers, Box TS 87, National Security Council, 1969–1976, NSDM, August 1971–January 1974. Top Secret. Copies were sent to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Director of Central Intelligence.
26. Conversation Between President Nixon and the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger)
Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, White House Tapes, Oval Office, Conversation 916–14. No classification marking. The editor transcribed the portion of the conversation printed here specifically for this volume.
27. Memorandum From Philip Odeen of the National Security Council Staff to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger)
Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 889, SALT, SALT TWO–I–Geneva, April 1973. Secret; Outside the System. Sent for information. Kissinger initialed the memorandum.
28. Memorandum From Philip Odeen of the National Security Council Staff to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger)
Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 889, SALT, SALT TWO–I–Geneva, April 1973. Secret; Outside the System. Sent for information. Kissinger initialed the memorandum.
29. Memorandum From the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger) to President Nixon
Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 889, SALT, SALT TWO–I–Geneva, April 1973. Top Secret.