306. Transcript of Telephone Conversation Between the President’s Deputy Assistant for National Security Affairs (Haig) and the Deputy Secretary of Defense (Rush)1

H: I have about ten minutes to get another vote back to Moscow. They have come in with a “compromise.” They suggest that we return to 740 formulation that Gerry Smith offered yesterday. In effect what it would do would be to include Y and H classes at starting point and put them under the category of modern submarines but to exclude G.

R: What would they end up with.

H: Give the Soviets the option of retiring the G’s and raising the 950 ceiling on SLBM’s by 70. We are talking about 1020 and allow them to have 62 boats that are nuclear powered, 22 G class submarines that are conventionally powered but that have nuclear missiles. If they decide to retire the G boats it would enable them to up 70 SS7 and 8’s. Henry has asked us to go around the horn and see if in light of the proposed compromise whether or not you want to hold to the position you …

R: My own feeling is that we have reached the limit of where we stand now.

H: I have not talked to the Chairman and Dick Helms yet.

M [R]: I think where we are now is going to be awfully hard to sell and going this far will be hard to swallow. We will rally around if this is what the President wants, however.

H: This is my feeling, too.

  1. Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 999, Alexander M. Haig Chronological Files, Haig Telcons, 1972. No classification marking.