Foreign Relations of the United States, 1969–1976, Volume E–7, Documents on South Asia, 1969–1972

160. Transcript of Telephone Conversation Between the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger) and the Minister of the Soviet Embassy (Vorontsov)¹ ²

Washington, December 5, 1971, 4:55 p.m.

V: Hello.

K: I am sorry to call you on a Sunday, but I was just talking to the President to report our conversation and I mentioned that at the end of our conversation you said that in a week or so it will be over and he said that he would like you to report to Moscow that in a week or so it may be ended but it won’t be over as far as we are concerned if it continues to take the present trend.

V: Yes.

H: He wants it to be clear that we are at a watershed in our relation-ship if it continues to go on this way.

V: I understand.

H: We cannot accept that any country would take unilateral actions like that.

1. Source: Library of Congress, Manuscript Division, Kissinger Papers, Box 370, Telephone Conversations, Chronological File, 1–5 December 1971. No classification marking.
2. Kissinger called Vorontsov to confirm that President Nixon felt that the crisis in South Asia had created a watershed in relations between the United States and the Soviet Union.