159. Message From President Johnson to Premier Kosygin1
Dear Mr. Kosygin:
I welcome your message. We feel that it is the duty of all great states to secure a speedy end to the military conflict, as indicated in Secretary Rusk’s earlier message to Foreign Minister Gromyko this morning. We are strongly supporting action to this end in the United Nations Security Council which meets within the hour and trust you will do the same. I have already made a personal appeal to all the governments in the area concerned and you may be assured we will exercise all our influence to bring hostilities to an end. We are pleased to learn from your message that you are doing the same.
Respectfully,
- Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Head of State Correspondence, USSR, Washington-Moscow “Hot-Line” Exchange, 6/5–10/67. Secret. A typed notation on the source text indicates it was approved by the President at 8:47 a.m., transmitted by U.S. Molink at 8:57 a.m., and received by Soviet Molink at 8:59 a.m. The message is addressed “To Chairman Kosygin. From President Lyndon B. Johnson.” A copy is addressed “Personal from the President to Chairman Kosygin.” (Ibid., Rostow Files, President-Kosygin Correspondence) President Johnson met with Rusk, McNamara, Walt Rostow, and George Christian from 8:17 to 9:25 a.m. in the White House Situation Room. (Ibid., President’s Daily Diary) There is no record of the meeting. A draft in Rusk’s handwriting with Rostow’s handwritten revisions is ibid., National Security File, Rostow Files, President-Kosygin Correspondence.↩