A ‘Controlled’ Freeze, January 1966–May 1967


146. Telegram From the Embassy in the Soviet Union to the Department of State

Source: National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Central Files 1964–66, POL 27 VIET S. Confidential; Limdis; Pinta. The telegram does not indicate a time of transmission; it was received at the Department of State at 8:28 a.m. Bundy forwarded the text to the President under cover of a January 10 memorandum that reads: “This is the message which Dean Rusk mentioned at our meeting at noontime. It is well worth reading.”


147. Telegram From Secretary of State Rusk to the Department of State

Source: National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Conference Files: Lot 66 D 347, CF 86. Top Secret; Immediate; Nodis; Pinta. Drafted by Rusk. Rusk was in New Delhi January 12–13 to attend the funeral of Indian Prime Minister Shastri. He returned to Washington January 19.


148. Memorandum From the President’s Special Assistant for National Security Affairs (Bundy) to President Johnson

Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Memos to the President-McGeorge Bundy, Vol. 18. Secret.


149. Memorandum of Conversation

Source: National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Central Files 1964–66, POL 17–8 USSR-US. Confidential. Drafted and initialed by Toon on January 17.


150. Telegram From the Embassy in the Soviet Union to the Department of State

Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Country File, USSR, Vol. XI. Confidential; Limdis. No time of transmission appears on the telegram but it was received in the Department of State at 1:01 p.m. on January 26.


151. Memorandum From Secretary of State Rusk to President Johnson

Source: National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Central Files 1964–66, CUL 16 USSR. Confidential. Drafted by Boris H. Klosson and Arthur I. Wortzel (EUR/SES) and cleared with Leddy, Thompson, CU, and IO.


152. Telegram From the Embassy in the Soviet Union to the Department of State

Source: National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Central Files 1964–66, POL 29 USSR. Limited Official Use. Repeated to London, Paris, Rome, and Munich.


153. Memorandum From Secretary of State Rusk to President Johnson

Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Country File, USSR, Vol. VIII. Confidential. No drafting information appears on the memorandum.


154. Memorandum From Secretary of State Rusk to President Johnson

Source: National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Central Files 1964–66, EDX 4 USUSSR. Confidential. Drafted by Klosson.


155. Memorandum of Conversation

Source: National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Central Files 1964–66, POL USUSSR. Confidential. Drafted and initialed by Thompson and approved in S/AL on March 19. In addition to U.S.-USSR bilateral relations the participants also discussed Soviet defectors (see Document 156), limitations on missiles, nuclear free zones, the peaceful uses of atomic energy, the Tri-Continent conference held in Havana, Communist China, the CPSU Congress, and Indochina. Memoranda of these parts of the conversation are in the Department of State, S/S-I Files: Lot 73 D 154, S/AL Memcons. The memorandum of the conversation on the peaceful uses of atomic energy is printed in Foreign Relations, 1964–1968, vol. XI, Document 123.


156. Memorandum of Conversation

Source: National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Central Files 1964–66, POL 30 USSR. Secret. Drafted and initialed by Thompson and approved in S/AL on March 19. For other topics discussed during the conversation, see footnote 1, Document 155.


157. Paper Prepared in the Policy Planning Council

Source: National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Central Files 1964–66, POL 1 USUSSR. Confidential. Drafted by John Huizenga. Transmitted to all U.S. diplomatic missions on April 1 as an enclosure to airgram CA–9782, which stated that it had “been used as a discussion paper in a recent policy planning meeting with the Secretary and in other Washington meetings sponsored by the Council,” and its views had “found general concurrence”; however, it was “a discussion paper and not a guidance.” (Ibid.) The paper was initially drafted by Huizenga on December 13, 1965, and revised in light of discussions at Policy Planning Council meetings on January 7 and February 25, 1966. (National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, S/P Files: Lot 71 D 273, USSR) Komer forwarded a copy of the initial draft to Bundy on December 23, 1965, calling it in his covering memorandum “a quite well written essay by John Huizenga (my favorite demonologist) that’s worth holiday reading.” (Johnson Library, National Security File, Komer Files, USSR, November 1963–March 1966)


158. Airgram From the Embassy in the Soviet Union to the Department of State

Source: National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Central Files 1964–66, POL USUSSR. Confidential. Drafted by Akalovsky and cleared in draft by Guthrie and Kohler.


159. National Intelligence Estimate

Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, National Intelligence Estimates. Secret. Submitted by the Director of Central Intelligence and concurred in by the United States Intelligence Board.


160. Memorandum of Conversation

Source: National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Central Files 1964–66, POL USUSSR. Confidential. Drafted and initialed by Thompson and approved in S/AL on May 19. Thompson and Dobrynin also discussed American prisoners in Vietnam, de Gaulle’s forthcoming visit to the Soviet Union, a new location for the Soviet Embassy, non-proliferation, a nuclear-free zone involving Israel and the Arab states, a visit of an oceanographic vessel to the Soviet Union, Rumania, and the visit of John D. Rockefeller, III, to the Soviet Union. Memoranda of these parts of the conversation are ibid., S/AL Files: Lot 67 D 2.


161. Letter From Secretary of State Rusk to Attorney General Katzenbach

Source: National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Central Files 1964–66, POL 17 USSR-US. Secret. Drafted by Robert L. Barry (EUR/SOV).


162. Memorandum From the President’s Deputy Special Assistant for National Security Affairs (Bator) to President Johnson

Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Memos to the President-Walt R. Rostow, Vol. 7. No classification marking.


163. Letter From the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations (Fulbright) to President Johnson

Source: Johnson Library, Legislative Background File, Consular Treaty. No classification marking.


164. Telegram From the Embassy in the Soviet Union to the Department of State

Source: National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Central Files 1964–66, CUL 16 USSR. Secret. No time of transmission appears on the telegram; it was received in the Department of State at 1:35 p.m. on July 12.


165. Telegram From the Embassy in the Soviet Union to the Department of State

Source: National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Central Files 1964–66 POL USUSSR. Secret; Exdis. No time of transmission appears on the telegram, but it was received in the Department of State at 8:19 p.m. on July 12.


166. Memorandum From Secretary of State Rusk to President Johnson

Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Agency File, State Department, Vol. IX. No classification marking. Attached to another copy of the memorandum, which shows it was drafted by Thompson, is a note that states the President agreed to the level of representation discussed at the Polish reception but did not wish to withdraw the invitation to the Soviet Science Attaché. (National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Central Files 1964–66, POL 17 EUR E–US)


167. Memorandum From the Ambassador at Large (Thompson) to President Johnson

Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Country File, USSR, Vol. 12. Secret. The memorandum is attached to a July 16 covering memorandum from Rostow to the President stating that Thompson’s memorandum was an “analysis of the Soviet attitude toward Vietnam against the background of the general position of frustration confronting Moscow.” Rostow’s memorandum is marked with an “L,” indicating that the President saw it.


168. Memorandum From the President’s Deputy Special Assistant for National Security Affairs (Bator) to President Johnson

Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Country File, USSR, Vol. XII. No classification marking.


169. Special National Intelligence Estimate

Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, National Intelligence Estimates. Secret. Submitted by the Director of Central Intelligence and concurred in by the U.S. Intelligence Board.


170. Memorandum From the Director of the Bureau of Intelligence and Research (Hughes) to the President’s Special Assistant (Rostow)

Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Country File, USSR, Vol. XII. Secret; Noforn. Rostow forwarded the memorandum and the attached Intelligence Note to the President under cover of an August 6 note stating: “As requested, herewith the State Department response to your two questions of this morning conveyed to me by Bill Moyers.” (Ibid.)


171. Letter From the Deputy Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs (Johnson) to the Deputy Secretary of Defense (Vance)

Source: National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Central Files 1964–66, POL 33–6 USUSSR. Secret.


172. Memorandum From the Executive Secretary of the Department of State (Read) to the President’s Special Assistant (Rostow)

Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Memos to the President-Walt W. Rostow, Vol. 12. Secret; Exdis. Rostow forwarded Read’s memorandum to the President under cover of a September 1 memorandum summarizing its contents. (Ibid.)


173. Telegram From the Embassy in the Soviet Union to the Department of State

Source: National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Central Files 1964–66, UN 22–2 GA. Secret; Exdis. Repeated to USUN.


175. Memorandum From the Ambassador at Large (Thompson) to Secretary of State Rusk

Source: National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Central Files 1964–66, AV 4 USUSSR. Secret.