Germany and Berlin, 1969–1972
331. Memorandum From the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger) to President Nixon
Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 753, President’s Correspondence File, Germany, Chancellor Brandt, 1971. Secret. Sent for information. A note attached to the memorandum indicates that the President saw it on October 4. In a September 20 memorandum forwarding a draft to Kissinger, Sonnenfeldt commented: “I have not tried to critique the Soviet visit for the President, but from our point of view it is pretty bad.” Kissinger wrote in the margin: “You should critique it along these lines soonest.” (Ibid.) According to another copy, Downey drafted the final memorandum to the President on September 24. (Ibid., Box 686, Country Files, Europe, Germany (Bonn), Vol. X)
333. Memorandum From Helmut Sonnenfeldt of the National Security Council Staff to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger)
Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 692, Country Files, Europe, Germany (Berlin), Vol. V. Secret; Eyes Only.
334. Memorandum From the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger) to President Nixon
Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 918, VIP Visits, Brandt Visit, Key Biscayne December 1971 [1 of 3]. Secret; Sensitive. Sent for information. No drafting information appears on the memorandum. Butterfield stamped the memorandum to indicate that the President had seen it.
335. Memorandum For the President’s File by the President’s Deputy Assistant for National Security Affairs (Haig)
Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, White House Special Files, President’s Office Files, Box 87, Memoranda for the President, Beginning December 26, 1971. Top Secret; Sensitive; Eyes Only.
336. Memorandum for the President’s File by the President’s Deputy Assistant for National Security Affairs (Haig)
Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, White House Special Files, President’s Office Files, Box 87, Memoranda for the President, Beginning December 26, 1971. Top Secret; Sensitive; Eyes Only.
337. Memorandum of Conversation
Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 1331, NSC Unfiled Materials, 1972 [6 of 8]. Secret; Nodis; XGDS. Drafted by Kennedy, based on his attached handwritten notes. The meeting was held in the Oval Office. A tape recording of the conversation is ibid., White House Tapes, Recording of Conversation Between Nixon and Rush, January 10, 1972, 12:35–1:24 p.m., Oval Office, Conversation 644–14.
338. Memorandum for the President’s File by the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger)
Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, White House Special Files, President’s Office Files, Box 87, Memoranda for the President, Beginning January 23, 1972. Top Secret; Sensitive; Exclusively Eyes Only. No drafting information appears on the memorandum. A tape recording of the conversation is ibid., White House Tapes, Recording of Conversation Between Nixon and Barzel, January 28, 1972, 11:32 a.m.–12:16 p.m., Oval Office, Conversation 659–3. For Barzel’s memoir account of the meeting, see Im Streit und umstritten, pp. 170–172.
339. Memorandum From Helmut Sonnenfeldt of the National Security Council Staff to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger)
Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 686, Country Files, Europe, Germany (Bonn), Vol. XI. Secret; Eyes Only; (Outside System.) Sent for information. Haig and Kissinger both initialed the memorandum, indicating that they had seen it.
340. Memorandum From the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger) to President Nixon
Source: National Security Council, Secretariat Files, NSSM Files, NSSM 146. Top Secret; Sensitive. Sent for action. No drafting information appears on the memorandum. Sonnenfeldt forwarded a copy to Kissinger on February 16. (Ibid.)
341. National Security Study Memorandum 146
Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 365, Subject Files, National Security Study Memoranda (NSSM’s), Nos. 104–206. Top Secret. Copies were sent to the Secretaries of Treasury, Defense, and Commerce, and to the Director of Central Intelligence. In the absence of Kissinger, who left Washington that morning to accompany the President to China, Haig asked Kennedy to clear the memorandum with the Department of State. (Memorandum from Haig to Kennedy, February 17; National Security Council, Secretariat Files, NSSM Files, NSSM 146) On February 18 Kennedy noted that Rogers had “no objection to the NSSM as written” and that the memorandum “should be issued with a date of February 17.” (Memorandum for the Record by Kennedy, February 18; ibid.)
342. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Germany
Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Files 1970–73, POL 7 GER W. Secret; Exdis. Drafted by Sutterlin on March 9, cleared by Springsteen, and approved by Rogers. Repeated to London, Moscow, Paris, Warsaw, and Berlin. The time and date of transmission, which are illegible on the telegram, are taken from a notation on an action memorandum from Springsteen to Rogers, March 10. (Ibid.) Rogers also enclosed a copy of the telegram in a March 10 memorandum to Nixon. “While we cannot prevent German politicians from coming to Washington,” Rogers explained, “I think that it is in our interest to discourage such visits to the extent we can tactfully do so during the current period of intensive controversy in the Federal Republic. I am sending a message to this effect to our Embassy in Bonn and wished to let you know since the White House and the Department will no doubt have to work in close coordination in handling the various visit proposals which can be anticipated despite best efforts of our Embassy in Bonn to discourage them.” (Ibid., Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 686, Country Files, Europe, Germany (Bonn), Vol. XI) Kissinger briefly summarized Rogers’ memorandum in a March 20 memorandum to Nixon; Butterfield stamped the latter to indicate that the President had seen it. (Ibid.)
343. Information Memorandum From the Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs (Hillenbrand) to Secretary of State Rogers
Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Files 1970–73, POL GER W–USSR. Confidential; Exdis. Drafted by Sutterlin and Perry.
344. Letter From the Political Counselor at the Embassy in Germany (Dean) to the Director of the Office of German Affairs (Sutterlin)
Source: Department of State, EUR/CE Files: Lot 85 D 330, JD—Correspondence 1972. Secret; Official–Informal. A copy was sent to Cash.
345. Memorandum From Helmut Sonnenfeldt of the National Security Council Staff to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger)
Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 686, Country Files, Europe, Germany (Bonn), Vol. XI. Secret. Sent for action. The memorandum was pouched to Kissinger, who was on vacation in Acapulco, Mexico. According to another copy, Livingston drafted and Kissinger noted the memorandum. (Library of Congress, Manuscript Division, Kissinger Papers, Box CL 270, Memoranda of Conversations, 1968–77, Chronological File)
347. Memorandum From Helmut Sonnenfeldt of the National Security Council Staff to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger)
Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 686, Country Files, Europe, Germany (Bonn), Vol. XI. Secret. Sent for action. Another copy indicates that it was drafted by Hyland. (Library of Congress, Manuscript Division, Kissinger Papers, Box CL 270, Memoranda of Conversations, 1968–77, Chronological File) According to an attached routing form, Kissinger noted the memorandum on March 29, i.e. after his meeting with Bahr. (National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 686, Country Files, Europe, Germany (Bonn), Vol. XI)
348. Memorandum of Conversation
Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Files 1970–73, POL GER W–US. Secret; Exdis. Drafted by Hillenbrand; approved by Kissinger. (Memorandum from Davis to Eliot, April 5; ibid.) The meeting was held in Kissinger’s office at the White House. The memorandum is part 1 of 4. The remaining parts, on Currency Exchange Problems, European Community Relations, and Presidential Visit to the Soviet Union, are ibid. According to Kissinger’s Record of Schedule, the meeting lasted from 1:22 to 3:08 p.m. (Library of Congress, Manuscript Division, Kissinger Papers, Box 438, Miscellany, 1968–76) For Bahr’s memoranda on his meeting with Kissinger, see Akten zur Auswärtigen Politrik der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, 1972, Vol. 1, pp. 347–351.
349. Message From the German State Secretary for Foreign, Defense, and German Policy (Bahr) to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger)
Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Kissinger Office Files, Box 60, Country Files, Europe, Egon Bahr, Berlin File [1 of 3]. Top Secret. A copy was sent to Sonnenfeldt. The message, translated here from the original German by the editor, was sent through the special Navy channel in Frankfurt. For the German text, see also Akten zur Auswärtigen Politik der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, 1972, Vol. 1 pp. 351–353.
351. Transcript of Telephone Conversation Between the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger) and the Deputy Secretary of Defense (Rush)
Source: Library of Congress, Manuscript Division, Kissinger Papers, Box 371, Telephone Conversations, Chronological File. No classification marking.
353. Memorandum From Peter Rodman of the National Security Council Staff to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger)
Source: Ford Library, National Security Advisor Files, Kissinger & Scowcroft West Wing Office Files, Box 35, West Germany—Egon Bahr Communications. Secret; Sensitive. Sent for information. A handwritten note indicates that the memorandum was “OBE,” overtaken by events. According to another covering memorandum, Kissinger received a copy of the attached report on April 7. For a discussion between Kissinger and Rush on the report, see Document 351.
354. Telegram From the Embassy in Germany to the Department of State
Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Files 1970–73, POL 15 GER W. Secret; Exdis. Repeated to Bremen, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Munich, and Stuttgart. Sonnenfeldt briefly summarized the telegram in an April 19 memorandum to Kissinger. (Ibid., Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 687, Country Files, Europe, Germany (Bonn), Vol. XII)
355. Paper Prepared in Response to National Security Study Memorandum 146
Source: National Security Council, Secretariat Files, NSSM Files, NSSM 146. Secret. The date is taken from an April 20 memorandum from Hillenbrand forwarding the paper to Kissinger. NSSM 146 is Document 341. Hillenbrand, acting as chairman of the Interdepartmental Group on Europe, noted that the Departments of State, Defense, Treasury, and Commerce, as well as the Central Intelligence Agency and the United States Information Agency, all participated in its preparation. Davis circulated the paper for discussion at the Senior Review Group meeting on April 26. (Memorandum from Davis to Johnson, Rush, Moorer, Helms, and Under Secretary of Treasury Walker; ibid.) The meeting, however, was postponed, presumably as Kissinger was busy preparing the President for his televised address that evening on Vietnam. See also Document 383.
357. Memorandum From Secretary of State Rogers to President Nixon
Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 40, President’s Daily Briefs, April 18–29, 1972. Confidential. Eliot signed the memorandum for Rogers. Butterfield stamped the memorandum to indicate that the President had seen it.
359. Memorandum From Helmut Sonnenfeldt of the National Security Council Staff to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger)
Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 686, Country Files, Europe, Germany (Bonn), Vol. XI. Secret; Exdis; (Outside System). Urgent; sent for action. This memorandum, and the one attached at Tab A, are based in part on telegram 6023 from Bonn, April 28. (National Archives, RG 59, Central Files 1970–73, POL 15 (GER W)
360. Transcript of Telephone Conversation Between the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger) and the Soviet Ambassador (Dobrynin)
Source: Library of Congress, Manuscript Division, Kissinger Papers, Box 371, Telephone Conversations. No classification marking.