Office of the Historian

286. Memorandum From the Special Assistant to the Deputy Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs (Shaw) to the Deputy Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs (Bohlen)1

Washington, October 2, 1968.

SUBJECT

  • Strategic Missile Talks

A significant result of the otherwise confused Conference of Non-Nuclear Weapon States was the adoption of a resolution, sponsored by Pakistan and encouraged by Canada, endorsing the US-Soviet agreement of July 1 to hold strategic arms limitation talks and “urging the governments of the USSR and US to enter into such bilateral talks at an early date.”2 It is particularly noteworthy that the resolution was:

1.
Adopted by the largest majority for any resolution which won NNC support (79-0-5);
2.
Supported by all of our NATO Allies participating in the NNC, including the FRG (Karl Lahusen, third-ranking member of the German Embassy here, spoke to me approvingly about this action);
3.
Supported also by such other US Allies as the entire Latin American bloc, Korea, Vietnam, and the GRC; and
4.
Supported by Yugoslavia and Romania.

With the exception of Thailand, none of the five abstaining countries (Thailand, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia) plays a significant role in international affairs. The abstentions of Tanzania and Zambia presumably reflect Chinese influence.

In sum, there would appear to be overwhelming international support for an early beginning of these talks. None of our Allies which are most concerned about the consequences of Czechoslovakia or are generally leery about signs of US-Soviet collaboration either opposed or abstained on the resolution.

You may wish to bring this development to the attention of the Secretary, if that has not already been done.3

JPS
  1. Source: Department of State, Central Files, DEF 12. Limited Official Use.↩
  2. Reference is to Resolution D, approved by the Conference on September 27. Text in Documents on Disarmament, 1968, p. 675.↩
  3. In a September 27 memorandum to President Johnson, Walt Rostow brought this resolution to the President’s attention, stressing that “All NATO allies present, including Federal Republic of Germany, voted in favor of the resolution.” (Johnson Library, National Security File, Subject File, Non-Proliferation Treaty, 7/21/67, Vol. II, Box 26)↩