Foreign Relations of the United States, 1969–1976, Volume E–14, Part 2, Documents on Arms Control and Nonproliferation, 1973–1976

1. Memorandum From the Executive Secretary of the Department of State (Eliot) to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger)¹

Washington, January 23, 1973.

SUBJECT

• Non-Proliferation Treaty

The momentum for adherence to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty has slowed. We believe it is important that the United States reaffirm the high priority it attaches to the Treaty. While Australia is expected to become a party to the Treaty on January 23, the non-nuclear members of the European communities are proceeding slowly toward adherence. At the same time, a number of key countries have shown no recent visible progress in this direction. The list includes: Japan, India, Israel, Brazil, Argentina, Spain, and South Africa. Despite repeated references by United States officials to our full support for broad adherence to the Treaty, Japanese officials continue to indicate that they are not convinced of this because of the lack of a high-level U.S. statement on the subject.

In our judgment a reaffirmation of our interest in widespread adherence to the Non-Proliferation Treaty should be included in the President’s Foreign Policy Report. AEC and ACDA support this recommendation. Language along the following lines would be appropriate:

“The United States continues to attach the highest priority to the Non-Proliferation Treaty. The Treaty is a basic element in the effort to control nuclear arms, while furthering the use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. The goal of a world at peace will be advanced by the widest possible adherence to this Treaty. We look forward to significant additional adherence in the coming year.”

Theodore L. Eliot, Jr.
Executive Secretary

1. Summary: Eliot indicated that the United States needed to reaffirm the high priority it attached to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) that entered into force on March 5, 1970. He recommended a reaffirmation be included in President Nixon’s annual foreign policy report in order to encourage key countries to adhere to the Treaty’s provisions.

   Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Files 1970–73, DEF 18–6. No classification marking. Drafted by Robert Loftness (SCI/AE). Miller signed for Eliot above Eliot’s typed signature. Pollack, Spiers, and Farley sent the memorandum to Eliot under cover of a January 23 action memorandum, requesting that Eliot sign the memorandum to Kissinger. (Ibid.) The text of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (21 VST 483) is in Arms Control and Disarmament Agreements: Texts and History of Negotiations Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1977, pp. 84–91. Nixon’s “Fourth Annual Report to the Congress on U.S. Foreign Policy,” May 3, is printed in Public Papers: Nixon, 1973, pp. 348–518. For the introduction to the foreign policy report, see Foreign Relations, 1969–1976, volume XXXVIII, Part 1, Foundations of Foreign Policy, 1973–1976, Document 9.