Documents on Arms Control and Nonproliferation, 1973–1976
211. Telegram 16290 From the Embassy in the Soviet Union to the Department of State
Summary: The Embassy reported that Chief of the Disarmament Section of the International Organizations Division of the Soviet Ministry of Foreign Affairs Krasulin had emphasized to Embassy officials the importance of several aspects of Soviet Foreign Minister Gromkyo’s UN General Assembly disarmament proposals.
Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, D760389–0198. Confidential. Repeated for information to Canberra, the Mission in Geneva, the U.S. delegation to the SALT II talks in Geneva, Leningrad, London, the Mission to NATO, New Delhi, Paris, USLO Peking, Rome, Tehran, USUN, and the U.S. delegation to the MBFR talks in Vienna. Telegram 15482 from Moscow, October 1, is ibid., D760372–0390. For a summary of the Soviet proposals, see Document 210.
212. Minutes of Secretary of State Kissinger’s Staff Meeting
Summary: Kissinger discussed the status of current U.S. nuclear policy initiatives at home and abroad with his senior staff.
Source: National Archives, RG 59, Executive Secretariat, Transcripts of Secretary of State Henry Kissinger’s Staff Meetings: Lot 78D443, Box 11, Secretary’s Staff Mtg, 10/18/76. Secret. No drafting information appears on the minutes. All brackes are in the original except those indicating text omitted by the editors. The topic of this discussion was a draft of President Ford’s “Statement on Nuclear Policy,” that Ford ultimately issued on October 28, 1976. In the statement, Ford said that while the United States opposed nuclear weapons proliferation, it wanted other nations to “enjoy the benefits of nuclear energy.” The full text of the statement is published in Public Papers: Gerald Ford 1976–77, Book III, pp. 2673–2678.
213. Telegram 16455 From the Embassy in the Soviet Union to the Department of State
Summary: The Embassy reported on Soviet Foreign Minister Gromyko’s arms control memorandum.
Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, D760392–0745. Confidential. Repeated to Bonn, the Mission in Geneva, London, the Mission to NATO, USLO Peking (Beijing), Paris, Tokyo, the U.S. delegation to the MBFR talks in Vienna, the U.S. delegation to the SALT II talks in Geneva, and USUN. Telegram 16290 from Moscow, October 15, is Document 211.
214. Statement on Nuclear Policy by President Ford
Summary: The statement provided an overview of nonproliferation and other arms control initiatives undertaken during Ford’s Presidency and announced several actions and proposals designed to strengthen nonproliferation efforts, change and strengthen U.S. domestic nuclear policies, and establish a “sound foundation for the continued and increased use of nuclear energy in the U.S. and in the world in a safe and economic manner.”
Source: Public Papers: Ford, 1976–77, Book III, pp. 2763–2778.
215. Memorandum From Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Scowcroft)
Summary: Rumsfeld noted that the White House had deleted FY 1978 appropriations funding requested to support a stand-by binary chemical weapons production facility and urged that the White House restore funding for long lead-time binary production items requested by the U.S. Army.
Source: Central Intelligence Agency, DDI Files, Job 82M00587R, Box 5, NSSM 195. Confidential. The date of the memorandum is hand-stamped. Also printed in Foreign Relations, 1969–1976, volume XXXV, National Security Policy, 1973–1976, as Document 121. Attached as Enclosure 1 to Document 217. The attached position paper is Document 216.
216. Position Paper Prepared in the Department of Defense
Summary: The position paper outlined the essential elements of an acceptable chemical weapons arms limitation agreement.
Source: Central Intelligence Agency, DDI Files, Job 82M00587R, Box 5, NSSM 195. Secret. Attached to Document 215.
217. Background Paper Prepared by the National Security Council Chemical Weapons Working Group
Summary: The paper provided background on the acquisition of a binary chemical weapons munitions facility, for use by participants in the upcoming Senior Review Group meeting on December 29.
Source: Central Intelligence Agency, DDI Files, Job 82M00587R, Box 5, NSSM 195. Secret. Davis sent the memorandum to Robinson, Clements, Lynn, Iklé, Brown, and Bush under a December 23 covering memorandum. Also printed in Foreign Relations, 1969–1976, volume XXXV, National Security Policy, 1973–1976, as Document 126. Enclosure 1, a December 15 memorandum from Rumsfeld to Scowcroft, is Document 215. A Department of Defense position paper on chemical weapons, which Rumsfeld attached to his December 15 memorandum is Document 216. Enclosure 2, an undated paper entitled “DOD CW Stockpile Data, is attached but not published. Enclosure 3 is attached but not published. NSDM 35 and NSSM 157 are published in Foreign Relations, 1969–1976, volume E–2, Arms Control and Nonproliferation, 1969–1972, as Documents 165 and 263. NSSM 192 is Document 29. Minutes of the December 29 SRG meeting are Document 218.
218. Minutes of a Senior Review Group Meeting
Summary: The Senior Review Group discussed budgetary issues related to the development of a binary chemical weapons production facility.
Source: Ford Library, National Security Council, Institutional Files—Meetings, Box 24, Meeting Minutes—Senior Review Group, November–December 1976. Secret. The meeting took place in the White House Situation Room. No drafting information appears on the minutes. Several handwritten additions and revisions have been incorporated into the text published here. Another version of the minutes is printed in Foreign Relations, 1969–1976, volume XXXV, National Security Policy, 1973–1976, as Document 128.