263. Editorial Note
West German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt visited Washington from December 5 to 6, 1974, primarily to discuss economic matters with President Ford. On December 3, Kissinger briefed Ford about Schmidt’s upcoming visit: “On CSCE, it is time to bring it to a close, but don’t do it in any way that looks like collusion. Schmidt is a better guy to deal with than Brandt.” (Memorandum of conversation, December 3; Ford Library, National Security Adviser, Memoranda of Conversation, Box 6)
When Ford met with Schmidt on December 6, Kissinger raised CSCE: “We [Kissinger and Genscher] talked about CSCE. We thought [Page 768] after February we should push for a conclusion. The trade-off could be a compromise on Basket III in return for movement on the two principles of major interest to you [the Germans]. A move on Basket III must be done with a unified Western position.” (Memorandum of conversation, December 6; National Archives, RG 59, Records of the Office of the Counselor, Entry 5339, Box 5, Germany, 1974)