301. Transcript of Telephone Conversation Between Secretary of State Kissinger and the Soviet Ambassador (Dobrynin)1
D: I just came back from the meeting with Sonnenfeldt.2 He told us the bad news—300 kilometers and 25 level. Also 21 days.
K: I can only tell you…
D: You really meant this answer. We were thinking about 250 and now back to Vienna.
K: I have written a letter to every foreign minister personally.3 It was telling them that it is our proposition. I have had replies from the British, French and Germans, in fact, I will let you see my letter some time. I don’t think you have to meet all three points in my judgment.
D: The question is whether we can meet the basic ones.
K: That is what I thought.
D: For the first time I am debating whether to telegram Brezhnev because he will be mad at you.
K: In this case he has no reason to be mad.
D: Now Sonnenfeldt has proposed that we come to Vienna, and look where we [are with?] the proposal—the same place it was originally.
K: If he did want to go to 21 and if he wanted to compromise with 275 and 20,000 as a last offer so that they could say they have exacted something from you, I think it would work.
D: Already we gave 50. It is worse than the previous one.
K: This is an issue on which we have no American interest.
D: If you would like it would be even better if I don’t say anything. He really did believe in you—all the other things you have done. But now coming back again—I don’t know what the reaction will be.
K: I don’t know how Sonnenfeldt presented it.
D: He presented it very well. He said that we failed and nothing else could be done unless we went to 250 and 21.
K: Let me call Hartman and call you back.
D: O.K.
- Source: Department of State, Electronic Reading Room, Kissinger Transcripts of Telephone Conversations, http://foia.state.gov/documents/kissinger/0000C042.pdf. No classification marking.↩
- Dobrynin met with Hartman; see Document 300.↩
- See Document 298.↩