26. Memorandum of Conversation Between Secretary of State Rogers and Foreign Minister Gromyko1 2

U.S. Participants

  • Secretary William P. Rogers
  • Ambassador Charles W. Yost
  • Mr. Gerard Smith
  • Mr. Richard F. Pedersen
  • Assistant Secretary Martin J. Hillenbrand
  • Assistant Secretary Joseph J. Sisco
  • Assistant Secretary Samuel DePalma
  • Deputy Assistant Secretary Emory C. Swank
  • Mr. William D. Krimer, Interpreter

U.S.S.R. Participants

  • Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrey A. Gromyko
  • Ambassador Yakov A. Malik
  • Ambassador Anatoliy F. Dobrynin
  • Ambassador Lev I. Mendelevich
  • Mr. Yuly M. Vorontsov, Counselor of Embassy in Washington
  • Mr. Valentin M. Falin, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
  • Mr. Yevgeniy D. Pyrlin, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
  • Mr. Viktor M. Sukhodrev, Interpreter

[Omitted here is discussion of other issues.]

[Page 2]

NPT

The Secretary inquired as to the status of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and asked if the Soviet Union was ready to proceed with simultaneous ratification and deposit of the Treaty.

Foreign Minister Gromyko replied that his Government had started the process of ratification. The Foreign Affairs Commissions of the Supreme Soviet had considered the Treaty and had recommended that the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet take final action on it. The Treaty was now before the Presidium for this final act in the ratification process.

The Secretary said that we had completed all necessary steps short of actual ratification. We felt it would be useful if U.S. and Soviet ratification and deposit of the Treaty took place simultaneously. Putting these final acts on international television would send the Treaty off to a good start.

Mr. Gromyko said his Government would consider this possibility and take appropriate measures to move ratification along. In this connection he wanted to inquire as to the position of the Government of the FRG with respect to accession to the NPT. He had discussed this question with FRG Foreign Minister Brandt. Mr. Brandt had told him he thought the new Government of the FRG, to be formed after the German elections, would take action to sign and ratify the Treaty.

The Secretary said he believed that if the United States and the Soviet Union ratified the NPT, other Governments, including that of the FRG, would do so also. If, on the other hand, our two countries were to continue to hold back, there was the danger that others would lose interest.

Mr. Gromyko said that in his talk with Mr. Brandt the latter had not referred to Soviet ratification as a condition for FRG accession to the Treaty. In any case, he thought the FRG must understand that the NPT was not a matter to be played with, and suggested that the Secretary and he remain in touch to speed completion of ratification and deposit.

The Secretary agreed and remarked that it would be particularly desirable if the Treaty were ratified by both countries before the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks began, in order to spur progress in the direction of control over nuclear weapons. Mr. Gromyko said that this argument had some “reason”.

  1. Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Files 1967–1969, POL USUSSR 5/1/69. Secret; Exdis. Drafted by William D. Krimer and approved on September 24 by R. L. Brown. The meeting was held at the Waldorf Towers in New York City.
  2. Rogers and Gromyko discussed simultaneous ratification and deposit of the NPT.