Office of the Historian

11. Letter From President Nixon to Egyptian President Sadat1

Washington, January 17, 1974.
Dear Mr. President:

I am transmitting the attached proposal as part of the agreement between Egypt and Israel on the disengagement of their forces. I am also transmitting the attached proposal to the Prime Minister of Israel.2

Receipt of your signature on the attached proposal will constitute acceptance, subject to the signature of the same proposal by the Prime Minister of Israel.

Sincerely,

Richard Nixon

Attachment

In order to facilitate agreement between Egypt and Israel and as part of that agreement, and to assist in maintaining scrupulous observance of the ceasefire on land, air, and sea the United States proposes the following:

1. That within the areas of limited armament and forces described in the agreement there will be: (a) no more than eight reinforced battalions of armed forces and 30 tanks; (b) no artillery except anti-tank guns, anti-tank missiles, mortars and 6 batteries of howitzers of a caliber up to 122 mm (M–3) with a range not to exceed 12 kilometers; (c) [Page 88] no weapons capable of interfering with the other party’s flights over its own forces; (d) no permanent, fixed installations for missile sites. The entire force of each party shall not exceed 7,000 men.

2. That to a distance 30 kilometers west of the Egyptian line and east of the Israeli line, there will be no weapons in areas from which they can reach the other line.

3. That to a distance 30 kilometers west of the Egyptian line and east of the Israeli line, there will be no surface-to-air missiles.

4. That the above limitations will apply as from the time the agreement on disengagement between Egypt and Israel is signed3 by the parties and will be implemented in accordance with the schedule of the basic agreement.

  1. 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)↩
  2. The letter to Prime Minister Meir and the attached proposal is identical to the letter sent to President Sadat. (National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 1180, Harold H. Saunders Files, Middle East Peace Negotiations, January 10–17, 1974)↩
  3. The agreement was signed at Kilometer 101 on January 18 at 12:25 p.m.; see Document 16.↩