SALT II, 1972–1980
61. Memorandum From the President’s Deputy Assistant for National Security Affairs (Scowcroft) to President Nixon
Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Kissinger Office Files, Box 76, Country Files–Europe–USSR, Secretary Kissinger’s Pre-Summit Trip to Moscow, Memcons and Reports, March 24–28, 1974. Secret; Sensitive; Eyes Only. Sent for information.
62. Backchannel Message From the President’s Deputy Assistant for National Security Affairs (Scowcroft) to the Chief of the Delegation to the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (Johnson)
Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 427, Backchannel Files, Backchannel Messages, 1973/74, SALT, Geneva. Secret.
63. Memorandum of Conversation
Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 1028, Memcons–HAK & Presidential, March 1–May 8, 1974. Secret; Sensitive; Eyes Only. The meeting took place in the Oval Office. The original is incorrectly dated April 11. According to the President’s Daily Diary, Nixon met with Kissinger and Gromyko on April 12 from 11:02 a.m. to 12:50 p.m. (Ibid., White House Central Files, President’s Daily Diary) The full memorandum of conversation is Document 173 in Foreign Relations, 1969–1976, Vol. XV, Soviet Union, June 1972–August 1974.
64. Minutes of a Meeting of the Verification Panel
Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Institutional Files (H–Files), Box H–108, Verification Panel Minutes, Originals, 3–15–72 to 6–4–74 [4 of 5]. Top Secret; Sensitive; Codeword. The meeting took place in the White House Situation Room.
65. Note From the United States to the Soviet Union
Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 1028, Memcons–HAK & Presidential, March 1–May 8, 1974. The note was Tab A to Document 66. A note on the first page indicates the note was sent to Dobrynin by messenger on April 23.
66. Memorandum of Conversation
Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 1028, Memcons–HAK & Presidential, March 1–May 8, 1974. Secret; Nodis. All brackets, except those inserted by the editor to indicate omitted passages, are in the original. Kissinger was in Geneva on April 28–29 to discuss bilateral issues with Gromyko. The meeting was held in the Secretary’s Suite in the InterContinental Hotel.
67. Note From the United States to the Soviet Union
Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 1028, Memcons–HAK & Presidential, March 1–May 8, 1974. No classification marking. A handwritten note reads: “Delivered to Amb. D. via messenger on 5/6/74, 11:00 a.m.” A covering letter from Scowcroft to Dobrynin, dated the same day, indicates that the note was a follow-up to Kissinger’s discussions with Gromyko in Geneva. (Ibid.)
68. Minutes of a Meeting of the National Security Council
Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, NSC Institutional Files (H–Files), Box H–110, NSC Meeting Minutes, Originals, 1971 thru 6–20–74. Top Secret; Sensitive; Nodis. The meeting took place in the Cabinet Room.
69. Minutes of the Under Secretary of State for Political Affair’s Principals and Regional Staff Meeting
Source: National Archives, RG 59, Transcripts of Secretary of State Kissinger’s Staff Meetings, Lot File 78D443, 1973–1977, Box 4, Mr. Sisco’s Principals’ and Regionals’ Staff Mtg, 6/21/1974 to Secretary’s Staff Mtg, 10/08/1974. Secret. Ingersoll and the Regional Assistant Secretaries attended the meeting.
70. Memorandum of Conversation
Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Kissinger Office Files, Box 77, Country Files–Europe–USSR, Memcons, Moscow Summit, June 27–July 3, 1974. Top Secret; Sensitive; Exclusively Eyes Only. The meeting was held in St. Catherine’s Hall at the Grand Kremlin Palace. Nixon arrived in Moscow on June 27 for the Summit with Brezhnev. The memorandum of conversation is printed in full as Document 187 in Foreign Relations, 1969–1976, Vol. XV, Soviet Union, June 1972–August 1974.
71. Memorandum of Conversation
Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Kissinger Office Files, Box 77, Country Files–Europe–USSR, Memcons, Moscow Summit, June 27–July 3, 1974. Top Secret; Sensitive; Exclusively Eyes Only. Brackets are in the original. The meeting was held at Brezhnev’s Beach House Grotto in Oreanda. On the afternoon of June 29, Nixon traveled with Brezhnev from Moscow to Oreanda, located in the Crimea near Yalta. (Ibid., White House Central Files, President’s Daily Diary)
72. Memorandum of Conversation
Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Kissinger Office Files, Box 77, Country Files–Europe–USSR, Memcons, Moscow Summit, June 27–July 3, 1974. Top Secret; Sensitive. Drafted by Stoessel. The conversation took place at the Soviet Foreign Ministry Reception House.
74. Minutes of a Meeting of the National Security Council
Source: Ford Library, NSC Institutional Files, Box 8, NSC Meeting 9/14/74–SALT. Top Secret; Sensitive; Nodis. The meeting took place in the Cabinet Room. The Verification Panel met on September 9 in anticipation of this NSC meeting. Kissinger told the Panel that the NSC meeting would be “partly educational for the President, but largely to bless the instructions to the delegation.” Kissinger noted that the NSC in this meeting and the subsequent one “won’t develop an absolutely final detailed proposal that is sufficiently precise to elicit a Soviet response. There are no hard or soft positions so far as the President is aware. In fact, he is not aware of any positions.” (Ibid., Box 23, Meeting Minutes–Verification Panel (Originals), August–September 1974)
75. National Security Decision Memorandum 271
Source: Ford Library, NSC Institutional Files, Box 55, NSDM 271, Instructions for SALT Talks, Geneva, 9/18/74. Top Secret; Sensitive. Copies were sent to the Director of Central Intelligence and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. On September 23, Kissinger sent the NSDM to Ford under a covering memorandum in which he indicated that “the details of the approach specified by the instructions do not vary significantly from our earlier approaches to a permanent agreement. In addition, the instructions emphasize two areas for discussion which have not previously received thorough attention—reductions and restraint in rates of modernization.” Ford initialed his approval of the NSDM. (Ibid.)
76. Minutes of a Meeting of the National Security Council
Source: Ford Library, National Security Adviser, NSC Meetings, Box 1, NSC Meeting, October 7, 1974. Top Secret; Sensitive; Nodis. The meeting took place in the Cabinet Room.
77. Memorandum of Conversation
Source: Ford Library, National Security Adviser, Memoranda of Conversation, 1973–1977, Box 6. Secret; Nodis. The meeting took place in the Oval Office.
78. Note From the United States to the Soviet Union
Source: Ford Library, NSC Institutional Files, Box 8, NSC Meeting, 10/18/74–SALT. No classification marking. A handwritten note reads: “To Dobrynin (10/9/74).” According to marginalia on another copy of the note, Scowcroft and Sonnenfeldt handed it to Dobrynin, along with an itinerary for Kissinger’s upcoming visit to Moscow, at 2:15 p.m. on October 9. (National Archives, RG 59, Lot 81D286, Records of the Office of the Counselor, Box 6, SALT, October 1974)
79. Paper Prepared in the Central Intelligence Agency for the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger)
Source: Central Intelligence Agency, Executive Registry Files, Job 80M01048A, OPI 10, Box 8, Folder 28. Secret. Sent under an October 18 covering memorandum from Colby to Kissinger in which Colby wrote: “As I proposed to you last month, we have given some thought to the kinds of arguments which might be useful, if directed to and discussed among Soviet leaders, in nudging them into action on the SALT question. Enclosed is a short background paper on the Soviet political factors affecting this matter.” Also attached to Colby’s memorandum was what Colby described as a “presentation, cast in the form of an intelligence assessment, of the broad gains available to the USSR in a SALT II agreement, as well as the losses which the USSR is likely to suffer in the absence of an agreement. It is for your possible use or even passage to a Soviet counterpart, if you think that desirable.” (Ibid.)
80. Memorandum From the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger) to President Ford
Source: Ford Library, NSC Institutional Files, Box 8, NSC Meeting, 10/18/74–SALT. Top Secret; Sensitive. The memorandum was not initialed by Kissinger. It was included in his briefing papers for the NSC meeting of October 18; see Document 81.
81. Minutes of a Meeting of the National Security Council
Source: Ford Library, NSC Institutional Files, Box 9, SALT. Top Secret; Sensitive. The meeting took place in the Cabinet Room. In preparation for this NSC meeting, Kissinger convened the Verification Panel on October 17. According to minutes of the meeting, Kissinger opened by stating that they were “about where we were two weeks ago” and he wanted to have the meeting before the NSC meeting “to be sure there were no nuances that have escaped us that might arise tomorrow.” After listing the various options, Kissinger stated that it was his “personal view is that if we go to asymmetries, we should do so in the form of equal deployment rights.” (Ibid., Box 23, Meeting Minutes–Verification Panel (Originals), October 1974–January 1975)
82. Memorandum From the President’s Deputy Assistant for National Security Affairs (Scowcroft) to President Ford
Source: Ford Library, National Security Adviser, Kissinger Reports on USSR, China, and Middle East Discussions, Box 1, USSR Memcons and Reports, October 24–27, 1974, Kissinger/Brezhnev Talks in Moscow. Secret; Sensitive. Sent for information. A note, “The Pres has seen,” is handwritten at the top of the page.
83. Memorandum From the President’s Deputy Assistant for National Security Affairs (Scowcroft) to President Ford
Source: Ford Library, National Security Adviser, Kissinger Reports on USSR, China, and Middle East Discussions, Box 1, USSR Memcons and Reports, October 24–27, 1974, Kissinger/Brezhnev Talks in Moscow. Secret; Nodis. Sent for information. Ford’s initials are at the top of the page.
84. Memorandum From the President’s Deputy Assistant for National Security Affairs (Scowcroft) to President Ford
Source: Ford Library, National Security Adviser, Kissinger Reports on USSR, China, and Middle East Discussions, Box 1, USSR Memcons and Reports, October 24–27, 1974, Kissinger/Brezhnev Talks in Moscow. Top Secret; Sensitive; Exclusively Eyes Only. Sent for information. A handwritten note at the top of the page reads: “Transmitted to President 271607Z Oct 74. President has seen.”
85. Memorandum From the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger) to President Ford
Source: Ford Library, National Security Adviser, Presidential Subject File, Box 19, SALT (10)–(21) [Nov. 1974–Aug 1975]. Secret; Sensitive. Ford initialed the memorandum. In a November 8 memorandum to Kissinger, Lodal, Sonnenfeldt, and Hyland analyzed the Soviet proposals, Brezhnev’s proposal in Moscow, and a note from the Soviet Embassy delivered at 12:24 p.m. on November 8, which they considered “generally consistent.” The note and the memorandum are ibid.
86. Note From the United States to the Soviet Union
Source: National Archives, RG 59, Records of the Office of the Counselor, Lot File 81D286, Box 6, SALT, November–December 1977. No classification marking. A covering memorandum from Sonnenfeldt and Hyland to Kissinger explains that the note was to be passed to Dobrynin and that it had incorporated the changes in paragraph 5 that Kissinger had requested. (Ibid.) Kissinger gave Dobrynin the note on November 13. (Ford Library, National Security Adviser, Kissinger–Scowcroft West Wing Office Files, Box 27, USSR, The “D” File)
88. Memorandum of Conversation
Source: National Archives, RG 59, Records of the Office of the Counselor, Lot File 81D286, Box 6, SALT, November–December 1974. Secret; Sensitive; Nodis. Drafted by Akalovsky. The meeting was held in the Okeanskaya Sanatorium near Vladivostok.
89. Memorandum From Jan Lodal of the National Security Council Staff to Secretary of State Kissinger
Source: Ford Library, National Security Adviser, Staff Assistant Peter Rodman Files, Box 1, SALT, Oct.–Nov. 1974. Secret; Completely Outside the System.
90. Minutes of a Meeting of the National Security Council
Source: Ford Library, NSC Institutional Files, Box 1, SALT. Top Secret; Sensitive; Nodis. The meeting took place in the Cabinet Room.