86. Telegram 4608 to London, February 281
Eyes only for Ambassador Bruce. There follows text of President’s letter to Prime Minister for delivery soonest:
QUOTE February 28, 1962
Dear Mr. Prime Minister:
Thank you for your letter of February 28th. Your understanding and support on the basic issue are a great source of encouragement. On your other comments, I think I understand and agree with most of what you say, and I think I can do something to meet you on nearly all points.
First, we will make the announcement here Friday night, although I fear there will be rumors before that time. We shall have to indicate on Friday morning that a television speech is coming, and probably we shall have to indicate the subject as well, but there will be no announcement of my decision before I talk to the country. While I know this is not perfect from the point of view of your problem with the House, David Ormsby Gore tells me that it should meet much of [Facsimile Page 2] the difficulty. I agree with you that there should be advance notice to the other three members of the Western Five and to NATO, and unless you object, we shall plan to take care of that here.
The dates which you suggest for the resumption of tests are unfortunately too late from the point of view of our arrangements here, and I think myself that we do not need to give quite so long a time to our Soviet friends. But I think I can say in my speech that we will not test until the latter part of April, and on this basis I would expect that no tests would go off until after April 22nd, which gives a considerable space of time to the Russians.
Your comments on the wording of the announcement are quite in line with my own thinking, and while the language in your message may not be fitting for a speech, I can assure you that I agree with your view that we ought not to tie on tight to the treaty of April 1961. We have firmly decided here that we genuinely want a decent treaty if we can get one, and I am instructing my experts to work at full steam with yours so that we can make a really good offer in the nuclear test ban field at Geneva.
Your last paragraph raises prospects which I know are possible, [Facsimile Page 3] but I plan to point out in my speech that it will be strange if the Soviets [Typeset Page 262] now refuse to talk, because we ourselves bargained with them on disarmament during their own atmospheric tests, and even reached agreement on the statement of agreed principles.
As for Berlin, I am of the view that we should find a new and better way of talking with them, and I hope to be in touch with you on that soon. And finally, it may be that Khrushchev really wants to talk with us, but I must say I think his last letter is a strange way of showing it. You and I know that when Heads of Government really want to meet, they make their arrangements in other ways—and so does Khrushchev.
With warm personal regards,
Sincerely, John F. Kennedy UNQUOTE
- Conveys President’s letter to Prime Minister Macmillan on resumption of nuclear testing. Secret. 3 pp. Department of State, Central Files, 700.5611/2–2862.↩