41. Notes of Telephone Conversation Between the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger) and President Nixon1 2

[Omitted here is discussion unrelated to the NPT.]

K said he was not sure we should make a big production of the NPT, because the Soviets aren’t. K said they plan simply to make a press announcement. The P said failing to have a signing isn’t going to be noticed there, but it sure is going to be noticed here. The P said we could just have a small one, not bother with Johnson. K said we don’t want to give them the impression that we were begging for an agreement. The P said he guessed K was right—let’s not have a ceremony. The P said he would just sign it and announce it. The P said Aiken, Mansfield, and Fulbright know it’s going to be done. The P said K might call them, say we found that the Soviets prefer just a press announcement, so we’re just going to sign it. Then we can make more of the meeting the next morning. The P said on that bacteriological thing, we have an awfully good case. The P said K should make him a talking paper on that for Tuesday morning. And K should call Fulbright, Aiken and Mansfield about breakfast Tuesday morning. The P said maybe we don’t have to tell them what the breakfast is going to be about. K said we could just say, a review of disarmament. The P said call it a consideration of a review of disarmament. The P said he would just sign the darn thing, and then announce it. We would get the credit for it anyway

  1. Source: Library of Congress, Manuscript Division, Kissinger Papers, Box 361, Telephone Records, 1969–76, Telephone Conversations, Chronological File, 18–28 April 1969. No classification marking.
  2. Nixon and Kissinger tentatively decided not to have an NPT signing ceremony.