Office of the Historian

175. Memorandum of Conversation1

Washington, January 18, 1967.

SUBJECT

  • US-Soviet Technical Discussions on Nuclear Explosions

PARTICIPANTS

  • Soviet Ambassador Anatoliy Dobrynin
  • The Secretary
  • Deputy Under Secretary Foy D. Kohler

The Secretary received Ambassador Dobrynin at the latter’s request. Ambassador Dobrynin made the following statement:

“I am authorized to confirm in principle our readiness to exchange opinions on the technical level in connection with the peaceful uses of nuclear explosives, as this was discussed by you at the time of the 21st Session of the General Assembly of the United Nations. As regards the time of the exchange of opinion, it would be possible to revert to this question a bit later.”

Ambassador Dobrynin left the Russian text of this oral statement. (Attached.)2

In an ensuing discussion the Secretary stressed the urgency and importance of this question in relation to consideration of a non-proliferation treaty. He said that the subject had been raised by many non-nuclear countries during our consultations. It was necessary that the Soviet [Page 426] Union and the United States be in a position to say that we were not foreclosing the possibility that non-nuclear countries could have access to the benefits of nuclear explosions. We should be in a position to offer to conduct nuclear explosions for justified projects.

Ambassador Dobrynin said that this was a political question; whereas, what was now contemplated were purely technical talks and asked whether the Secretary was broadening his proposal. He pointed out that the technical talks would involve a certain group of experts, whereas, questions relating to non-proliferation were handled by another group on a political level.

The Secretary said he would clarify the question. We had proposed technical talks as a beginning, and these would be useful. Such technical talks would lay the basis for coming to grips with the political aspects. The problem had protruded itself and become related to the question of a non-proliferation treaty.

Ambassador Dobrynin said he understood this, but that he also understood that the Secretary was not proposing to marry the technical and political aspects at this time.

The Secretary confirmed this understanding but stressed that the relationship with non-proliferation made it urgent that we get ahead more quickly with the technical talks than seemed to be contemplated by the Soviet side. He, therefore, hoped that Ambassador Dobrynin would ask his Government to put forward an early date for the beginning of the technical talks.

Ambassador Dobrynin agreed to do so.

  1. Source: Department of State, Central Files, DEF 18. Confidential;Nodis. Drafted by Kohler. This conversation is presumably part of the 7 p.m. meeting between Dobrynin and Rusk. See Document 174.↩
  2. Not printed.↩