Office of the Historian

First Egyptian-Israeli Disengagement Agreement, January 1974

1. Memorandum From the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger) to President Nixon

Washington, January 6, 1974.

Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Kissinger Office Files, Box 136, Country Files, Middle East, Dinitz, 1/1–7/1, 1974, (2). Secret; Nodis.

3. Memorandum From the President’s Deputy Assistant for National Security Affairs (Scowcroft) to President Nixon

Washington, January 13, 1974.

Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Kissinger Office Files, Box 140, Country Files, Middle East, Secretary Kissinger’s Middle East Trip, January 11–20, 1974, Memcons and Reports. Top Secret. Sent for information. A handwritten notation reads: “President has seen.”

4. Memorandum of Conversation

Jerusalem, January 13, 1974, noon–1:15 p.m.

Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Kissinger Office Files, Box 140, Country Files, Middle East, Secretary Kissinger’s Middle East Trip, January 11–20, 1974, Memcons and Reports. Top Secret. The meeting was held in the Prime Minister’s office. Brackets are in the original.

5. Memorandum of Conversation

Aswan, January 14, 1974, 10:30 a.m.–2 p.m.

Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Kissinger Office Files, Box 133, Country Files, Middle East, Egypt, Volume 9, January 1974. Top Secret; Sensitive; Exclusively Eyes Only. The meeting was held in the President’s House. Brackets are in the original.

6. Memorandum of Conversation

Jerusalem, January 15, 1974, 2–3:50 p.m.

Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Kissinger Office Files, Box 140, Country Files, Middle East, Secretary Kissinger’s Middle East Trip, January 11–20, 1974, Memcons and Reports. Top Secret; Sensitive; Exclusively Eyes Only. The luncheon meeting was held in the Foreign Minister’s residence. Brackets are in the original. Kissinger and Allon and their parties met earlier in the day at 9:40 a.m. to review Kissinger’s meeting with Sadat on the previous day. (Memorandum of conversation; ibid.)

7. Memorandum of Conversation

Jerusalem, January 16, 1974, 8:30–10:20 a.m.

Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Kissinger Office Files, Box 140, Country Files, Middle East, Secretary Kissinger’s Middle East Trip, January 11–20, 1974, Memcons and Reports. Top Secret; Sensitive; Exclusively Eyes Only. The meeting was held in the Prime Minister’s office. Brackets, with the exception of ones noted, are in the original. All blank underscores are omissions in the original.

8. Memorandum From the President’s Deputy Assistant for National Security Affairs (Scowcroft) to President Nixon

Washington, January 16, 1974

Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Kissinger Office Files, Box 44, HAK Trip Files, January 10–20, 1974, Europe and Mid East State Cables, Memos, Misc. Top Secret; Sensitive; Exclusively Eyes Only. A handwritten notation reads: “Back from President.”

9. Memorandum of Conversation

Jerusalem, January 17, 1974, 9:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.

Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Kissinger Office Files, Box 140, Country Files, Middle East, Secretary Kissinger’s Middle East Trip, January 11–20, 1974, Memcons and Reports, Folder 2. Top Secret; Sensitive; Exclusively Eyes Only. The meeting was held in Secretary Kissinger’s suite at the King David Hotel. Brackets, with the exception of ones describing omitted material, are in the original.

10. Telegram From Secretary of State Kissinger to the Mission to the United Nations

Jerusalem, January 17, 1974, 0131Z.

Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Kissinger Office Files, Box 133, Country Files, Middle East, Egypt, Volume 9, January 1974. Secret; Niact Immediate; Exdis (Distribute as Nodis Cherokee). Also sent Niact Immediate to USNATO. Repeated Immediate to Tel Aviv, Geneva for MEPC Del, and Cairo. According to Kissinger’s Record of Schedule, he was in Jerusalem until 8:30 a.m. and then left by train for Lod Airport in Tel Aviv. (Library of Congress, Manuscript Division, Kissinger Papers, Box 438, Miscellany, 1968–76)

11. Letter From President Nixon to Egyptian President Sadat

Washington, January 17, 1974.

Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 1180, Harold H. Saunders Files, Middle East Peace Negotiations, January 10–17, 1974. Secret. According to Kissinger’s memoirs, the text of the letter was drafted by Kissinger’s negotiating team. (Years of Upheaval, p. 833)

12. Letter From President Nixon to Israeli Prime Minister Meir

Washington, January 17, 1974.

Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 1180, Harold H. Saunders Files, Middle East Peace Negotiations, January 10–17, 1974. Secret.

13. Letter From President Nixon to Egyptian President Sadat

Washington, January 17, 1974.

Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Kissinger Office Files, Box 133, Country Files, Middle East, Egypt, Volume 10, February 1974. Secret. According to Kissinger’s memoirs, Kissinger drafted the letter himself. (Years of Upheaval, pp. 834–835)

14. Memorandum of Understanding

January 18, 1974.

Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Kissinger Office Files, Box 136, Country Files, Middle East, Dinitz, 1/1–7/1, 1974 (2). Secret. According to Kissinger’s memoirs, the Israelis on several occasions sought Memoranda of Understanding between the United States and Israel. He attributed this to Israeli “consciousness of having only one friend among the nations of the world,” which produced “an endless quest for reassurance in the form of additional concessions or side letters on the interpretation of existing agreements.” (Years of Upheaval, p. 652)

15. Telegram From Secretary of State Kissinger to the President’s Deputy Assistant for National Security Affairs (Scowcroft)

January 19, 1974, 1814Z.

Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Kissinger Office Files, Box 43, HAK Trip Files, January 10–20, 1974. Top Secret; Sensitive; Flash. According to Kissinger’s Record of Schedule, he was in Egypt on January 19 until 3 p.m. at which point he departed for Aqaba, Jordan, where he spent the rest of the day. (Library of Congress, Manuscript Division, Kissinger Papers, Box 438, Miscellany, 1968–76)

16. Telegram From Secretary of State Kissinger to the Department of State

January 19, 1974, 2131Z.

Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Kissinger Office Files, Box 133, Country Files, Middle East, Egypt, Volume 9, January 1974. Secret; Nodis; Immediate. Repeated to Cairo, Tel Aviv, and USUN.

17. Memorandum of Conversation

Washington, January 21, 1974, 10–11:40 a.m.

Source: Ford Library, National Security Adviser, Memoranda of Conversations, Box 3, January 21, 1974, Nixon, Bipartisan Leadership. Secret; Nodis. The meeting was held in the Cabinet Room of the White House. Brackets are in the original. A list of attendees is in President Nixon’s Daily Diary. (National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, White House Central Files)

18. Memorandum of Conversation

Washington, January 23, 1974, 10 a.m.

Source: Ford Library, National Security Adviser, Memoranda of Conversations, Box 3, January 23, 1974, Cabinet Meeting. Confidential. The meeting was held in the Cabinet Room of the White House. A list of attendees is in President Nixon’s Daily Diary. (National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, White House Central Files)