141. Memorandum From Richard Boverie of the National Security Council Staff to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Scowcroft)1
SUBJECT
- Semenov Comments on SALT TWO Prospects
[2 lines not declassified] Semenov reportedly made the following points:
—Keeping the Americans involved in the negotiating process is more important than the agreements themselves.
—It would be impolitic for the Soviet Union to sign a SALT TWO Agreement this year, and a new agreement will probably be signed in April or May.
—Semenov indicated that “there are no great gaps between the latest US proposals and what the Soviet side is able to offer,” and that they could sign an agreement now on the basis of the current American position.
—Semenov’s aide stated that the Soviets had settled on a position which resolved the remaining issues. He noted that cruise missiles would not be a problem and that “we are ready to settle the Backfire issue.”
—Semenov also observed that Ustinov had been selected by Brezhnev as Defense Minister to counter and limit military influence in the Politburo and SALT policy. He noted that except for the military the Soviets could have accepted “Kissinger’s first proposal on cruise missiles.”
- Source: Ford Library, National Security Adviser, NSC Program Analysis Staff, Jan Lodal Convenience Files, Box 41, SALT General Subseries, Intelligence Matters. Secret; Sensitive. Sent for information. Scowcroft initialed the memorandum.↩