29. Telegram 14209 From the Embassy in Germany to the Department of State1 2
Bonn, October 28, 1969,
1145Z.
Subject:
- Chancellor Brandt on NPT
- 1.
- In the course of his first interview with the Ambassador on October 28, Brandt reaffirmed his intention to push ahead on the NPT and outlined his plans for doing so. Brandt called special attention to the importance of the Roth Mission now in Washington and hoped that it would be successful. The government also plans to approach the Soviets. Scheel will be seeing Tsarapkin later this week and intends to pick up with Tsarapkin a general statement Kosygin had made to Scheel during the latter’s visit to Moscow last summer to the effect that the Soviet Union would be prepared to do what it could to help.
- 2.
- In this context Brandt also referred to the oral assurances which Gromyko had given him regarding peaceful uses of atomic [Page 2] energy under the NPT. Brandt said it would be very useful to the German ratification process if Gromyko’s oral statement in this regard could be given the Germans in writing.
- 3.
- Brandt said there must be a full Bundestag debate before Germany can sign the NPT. It is currently set for the end of the week of Nov. 10–14. To give order to the debate, the government plans to circulate a paper in the Bundestag setting forth its position, and the results of its efforts with the US and Soviet Governments. The Ambassador said he welcomed Brandt’s intention to proceed with the NPT.
Rush
- Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Files 1967–1969, DEF 18–6. Confidential. It was repeated to London, Paris, Moscow, Brussels, The Hague, Luxembourg, Rome, Berlin, USNATO, USMission Geneva, and USUN.↩
- The telegram reported on Chancellor Brandt’s decision to “push ahead” on the NPT. Brandt intended to approach the Soviets and requested Soviet Foreign Minister Gromyko’s assurances of the expansion of peaceful atomic energy use in writing, so that Brandt could distribute it to the German Bundestag.↩