343. Telegram 248 From Moscow1
248. Geneva experts conference has now proceeded to point where Soviet strategy is becoming fairly obvious. Their aim is to have meeting succeed, and, to this end, they have made number of important concessions which are not altogether in Soviet hard bargaining tradition. They have not, of course, surrendered on any points vitally affecting Soviet internal security and secrecy (nor were they really asked to by west), and conference has yet to discuss desiderata of control system scheme (which may well reveal significant divergences), but real clue to final outcome appears to have been their agreement to limited use of aircraft for flights to collect nuclear debris.
I would now assume that chances of success are sufficiently great to make it incumbent on us to decide where we go from there. Soviets are clearly calculating that final report agreeing to feasibility of control system and giving outline thereof will create irresistible pressure on west to cave in on separate test ban issue. We can be sure that all stops will be pulled from accompanying prolonged propaganda cry and that number of supports for this step in free world will exceed all previous records.
- Source: Soviet desire for agreement on nuclear test detection. Confidential. 1 p. NARA, RG 59, Central Files, 700.5611/7–2658.↩