152. Editorial Note
On December 22, 1970, Assistant to the President Kissinger met Soviet Ambassador Dobrynin in the Map Room at the White House from 1:19 to 4:05 p.m. to discuss the “general state of U.S.-Soviet relations.” (Record of Schedule; Library of Congress, Manuscript Division, Kissinger Papers, Box 438, Miscellany, 1968–76) According to the memorandum of conversation, the meeting took place in an “extremely cordial atmosphere.” Although he cited several Soviet roadblocks to building “constructive relations”, including “the harassment of Berlin corridors while negotiations are going on,” Kissinger said that President Nixon wanted to reaffirm “his desire to improve our relations.” Kissinger suggested that “we both agree to use this channel whenever [Page 456] we see problems developing in our relations.” Acknowledging the “need to make some progress in our bilateral channel,” Dobrynin said he was “ready to meet as frequently as possible.” The two men also discussed recent developments in the Berlin negotiations:
“Dobrynin then said that with respect to Berlin, he was only repeating what our allies told him. Both the French and the Germans constantly told the Soviet Ambassadors that the United States was holding up progress. He admitted that the British were in a different category, but then the British are almost a sub-organ of the U.S. State Department.”
After assuring Kissinger that there was “great eagerness in Moscow to come to an understanding with the United States,” Dobrynin briefly described the difficulties involved in the Middle East negotiations and the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks. He then said:
“The same was true of Berlin. The Soviet Union thought it had made a major concession on December 10th by speaking of preferential, uninterrupted access. On the other hand, the American Ambassador seemed totally unprepared and had to ask for a recess twice. And when Abrasimov wanted to continue the meeting, he said he had personal business. This was unheard of in the Soviet Union. Soviet Ambassadors have the idea that they’re serving their government—not that private business has precedence. I [Kissinger] told Dobrynin that there was no sense in continuing an exchange of recriminations—that we should concentrate on the future. Dobrynin said he agreed and he recognized that this might be the last moment where we could have fruitful discussions.”
At the conclusion of the meeting, the two men agreed to meet on January 7, at the Soviet Embassy to “review our negotiating positions on Berlin, the Middle East and SALT, and see whether there were any points in which we might usefully make progress.” (National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 490, President’s Trip Files, Dobrynin/Kissinger, 1970, Vol. 3)
Kissinger later forwarded, summarized, and analyzed the memorandum of conversation in an undated memorandum to the President. (Ibid.) The memorandum is scheduled for publication in Foreign Relations, 1969–1976, volume XIII. For their memoir accounts of the meeting, see Kissinger, White House Years, page 801; and Dobrynin, In Confidence, pages 209–210.
In a telephone conversation at 4:15 p.m. on December 24, Kissinger and Dobrynin continued their discussion of U.S.-Soviet relations, including the following brief exchange:
“K[issinger]: Some ideas you have discussed the other day he [Nixon] is considering in a positive spirit and I will say more to you on the 7th.
[Page 457]“D[obrynin]: Off the record, if something could be more completely now—it is important based on Soviet/American relations and would be good to discuss concrete—
“K: I am doing something on this. Berlin (I have worked out).” (Library of Congress, Manuscript Division, Kissinger Papers, Box 365, Telephone Conversations, Chronological Files)
Kissinger then called Nixon to report that he had “a long talk on the phone with Dobrynin and hung out the prospects for SALT and Berlin and the Middle East.” (Ibid.)