41. Telegram 1404 to Geneva Nusup, August 311
Confirming Stelle-Spiers telecon, you are authorized to proceed with Monday session. As Chairman you should make first statement, referring to SOV announcement, recapitulating in most effective possible way history US efforts to achieve agreement and forbearance with regard resumption testing, and read White House statement contained NUSUP 1401 into record. You should then, before Tsarapkin has opportunity to speak, state that SOV attitude re conference appears make it pointless to continue on business as usual basis and that US proposes conference recess as of today pending UNGA completion its scheduled consideration test issue. You should not propose specific date for resumption. However your statement should not give any indication or convey impression that US is taking any initiative to terminate conference.
Our expectation is that Tsarapkin will announce SOV withdrawal from conference and we believe it important that US be on record prior to such SOV statement with proposal for recess so that SOVs bear responsibility [Facsimile Page 2] for termination conference as well as for resumption testing.
We are taking this matter up urgently with UK Embassy here and you should be in contact with UKDEL Geneva.
- Negotiating strategy to forestall Soviet withdrawal from conference. Secret. 2 pp. Department of State, Central Files, 397.5611–GE/8–3161.↩