Office of the Historian

119. Telegram 2091 From the Embassy in the Soviet Union to the Department of State1

Moscow, February 14, 1975, 1447Z.

2091. TTBT–PNE Delegation Message Number Eight. Subj: TTBT–PNE Summary of Negotiations During Week of February 10, 1975.

1. Plenaries were held February 10th, 12th and 14th, with restricted session with Morokhov, Timerbaev and Safronov February 12th.

2. At opening session, Morokhov expressed an optimistic attitude but his statement contained little substance. He praised the Vienna IAEA technical panel and U.S.-Soviet technical bilaterals, expressing much interest in “U.S.-Thai Kra canal project.” Stoessel restated U.S. criteria for any PNE agreement and stated that U.S. side had conducted extensive review of issues during the recess and was prepared to present U.S. views on appropriate limitations and verification provisions for both contained and excavation PNEs.

3. At second plenary, U.S. side presented proposal to limit yield of contained PNEs to 100 KT and provide for exchange of information, and acquisition of data by observers as part of verification. Soviet side presented no statement.

4. Purpose of restricted session on February 12 was to explain to Soviet side that we had accommodated their desire not to discuss subject of observers in plenaries during Round I, but that we must now deal with this matter and we wished to discuss procedures with them. Morokhov agreed that U.S. side should present its views in plenaries or restricted sessions as we wished but that the matter of observers [Page 402] is linked to cooperation and that Soviet side had not yet received a U.S. response to their proposal for a cooperation agreement.

5. At third plenary held morning February 14, Morokhov offered brief preliminary views of U.S. February 12 presentation, expressing preference for dividing PNEs into categories of “under development” and “mastered,” rather than “contained” and “excavation.” In absence of Stoessel, Buchheim presented illustrative outline of observer functions for contained PNEs. Morokhov said that this subject had no interest for the Soviet side but then he and other members of Soviet delegation asked a number of questions. He also stated that the described observer functions went beyond verification and would result in the acquisition of information of technical and commercial value on PNE technology. Safronov asked several questions about the volume of information required and logic behind these requirements. Myasnikov asked about providing geological samples from exploratory drill holes rather than the emplacement hole, and about the radius of observer activities. The U.S. side made no substantive reply but indicated we would further explain our contained position in next plenary, scheduled for 11:00 a.m. February 17. Soviet side made it clear they intended to hear all portions of U.S. position before providing substantive comments.

6. Remarks by Morokhov at luncheon with Stoessel, Buchheim and Timerbaev on February tenth included: (1) he asked what we now thought about PNE cooperation, (2) he stated that excavation PNEs would present no radioactivity hazards and that they must comply with LTBT, (3) he speculated about the possibility of a set or sequence of partial agreements.

Stoessel

  1. Summary: The Embassy transmitted a summary of the first week of the PNE negotiations.

    Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, D750054–0710. Secret; Immediate; Exdis.

    ↩