Office of the Historian

365. Memorandum From the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger) to the Under Secretary of State (Irwin)1

Washington, October 20, 1969.

SUBJECT

  • French Desire to Sell Transistor Technology to Poland

The President has carefully weighed the options and considerations presented in your memorandum of October 13,2 and has decided to approve your recommendation that we express no objection to the exception requested by the French in COCOM. Please take steps to implement this decision at the earliest opportunity.3

Henry A. Kissinger
  1. Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Country Files-Europe, Box 675, France, Volume III Jan 69-10/31/69. Secret. A copy was sent to the Deputy Secretary of Defense.↩
  2. Not found.↩
  3. An October 23 memorandum from Executive Secretary Eliot to Kissinger informed him that on October 20 the Department had instructed the U.S. Mission to OECD to inform COCOM the United States did not object to the French exceptions request for the sale of transistor technology to Poland. The Mission had confirmed that COCOM was so informed on October 21. Telegram 177767 from USOECD, October 20, had conveyed the instruction. (National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Country Files-Europe, Box 675, France, Volume III Jan 69-10/31/69)↩