316. Memorandum of Conversation1
SUBJECT
- Luncheon Meeting between Ambassadors Thompson and Dobrynin
PARTICIPANTS
- Llewellyn E. Thompson, American Ambassador, Moscow
- Anatoliy F. Dobrynin, Soviet Ambassador, US
Ambassador Dobrynin asked for my personal advice on what he or his Embassy should do with respect to the President–Elect. He understood that Mr. Nixon would probably remain in New York until the inauguration and that it was unlikely that he would have an occasion to see him. He wondered whether he should try to get in touch with any of the people around Mr. Nixon. He thought the matter was somewhat delicate as he did not wish in any way to appear to be pushing or to forget the fact that President Johnson would be in office until January 20.
I suggested that he would probably be well advised to take no initiative in the matter, but to be available if any of Mr. Nixon’s advisers should approach him.2
I asked what his views were on a possible summit meeting between Mr. Nixon and the Soviet leaders.
[Page 751]The Ambassador replied that his personal view was that he was very much in favor of a summit meeting and thought that the sooner it took place, the better, although Moscow would realize that this was a matter involving US domestic considerations. He thought the Soviet leaders would be quite prepared to meet Mr. Nixon either before or after the inauguration.3
- Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Memos to the President—Walt Rostow, Vol. 105. Secret; Exdis. Drafted by Thompson and approved in S/S on November 13. Rostow forwarded the memorandum to the President under a November 14 covering note. (Ibid.)↩
- See footnote 1, Document 334.↩
- In telegram 6642 from Moscow, November 29, Thompson reported this conversation to Rusk and indicated that in a November 19 letter he had passed on the information to Robert D. Murphy, whom Nixon had named as his liaison to Secretary Rusk. (Johnson Library, National Security File, Memos to the President—Walt Rostow, Vol. 109)↩