211. Transcript of Telephone Conversation Between Secretary of State Kissinger and the Soviet Ambassador (Dobrynin)1
K: You can talk to the Chinese Ambassador. He is your ally but leave our allies alone.
D: What happens now?
K: I understand you are having lunch with the British Ambassador. I want to make sure your being . . . of you . . . Ambassador Huang Chen told me he is very fond of you. He says if you give him half of Siberia and the Mauritanian . . . he will sign a non-aggression treaty.
D: Will this say something?
K: Anatoly, about that letter.2 The President agrees that I should go to Moscow. You understand this will present us with enormous domestic difficulties.
D: Well . . .
K: Oh, never mind. I think it’s important that we say publicly it was done at the invitation of the Soviet Government.
D: I see no difficulty in that.
K: In our interests to announce it about 1:00 this morning our time.
D: 1:00 am.
[Page 618]K: Yes, I think we should leave about 12:30.
D: This is acceptable.
K: Then we should say it is the invitation of the Soviet Government. I am going on urgent consultations. Of course we will be delighted to have you come with us and . . . we are assuming that no unilateral actions will be taken while I am in transit.
D: What do you mean?
K: No military threats. And I am assuming both of us will keep the situation calm . . . I don’t believe while I am there I will be able to negotiate a final settlement. I will be able to negotiate a cease-fire.
D: A cease-fire?
K: But we can’t expect to settle it in one day.
D: OK.
K: Is there anyway you could get in touch with someone over there. We may be able to get an airplane that could fly non-stop.
D: I will talk to Moscow.
K: The other possibility is to stop in Copenhagen.
D: I will get on it.
K: If we want to ask for the right to stop in Copenhagen . . . it will then get out.
D: They won’t know what plane is stopping.
K: I am not sure.
D: So, two possibilities . . . non-stop and stopping in Copenhagen. OK, everything is settled and you leave at 1:00.
K: Let’s say 1:00 to be safe.
D: And announce at 2:00.
K: We will announce at 2:00. That way no Soviet military . . . I would like that I get a nights sleep before they jump on me. And we’re going to Leningrad, right?
D: One night sleep. I put on menu. You want to . . . I will put it this way—that you demand it be in Leningrad.
K: Say that I insist I get to go to Leningrad. I will not go unless I can meet in Leningrad. Look we appreciate the letter and we gladly accept the invitation. I am going to see if we can bring about a cease-fire. All we want is to say it is the invitation of the Soviet Government.
D: I understand.
K: We have not even told the Israelis.
D: You want a small . . .
K: I will have to tell them later . . . Now you leave Cromer in NATO and until we get this thing settled.
[Page 619]D: I will not say anything.
K: Good. Bye.3
- Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, Kissinger Telephone Conversations, Transcripts (Telcons), Chronological File, Box 23. No classification marking.↩
- See Document 209.↩
- At 4:30 p.m., Dobrynin telephoned Kissinger to tell him that he had received a short telegram from Brezhnev, who thanked the President and Secretary for their positive answer to his proposal. The General Secretary also said he had no objection to a public statement concerning Kissinger’s trip. Kissinger reminded Dobrynin that they would be discussing this within the framework that the two of them had been discussing, not a final settlement. (National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, Kissinger Telephone Conversations, Transcripts (Telcons), Chronological File, Box 23)↩