148. Telegram 133038 From the Department of State to the Embassy in the Soviet Union1
133038. Subject: Oral Démarche to Soviets on Venting. For USDel—TTBT/PNE Talks.
1. Deputy Assistant Secretary Armitage called in Soviet DCM Vorontsov June 6 to inform him by oral démarche that Soviet March 12 oral response to U.S. note verbale of January 16 on subject of Soviet nuclear tests and Moscow Treaty of August 5, 1963 does not in U.S. view offer adequate reassurance on the issue of compliance with the LTBT. Vorontsov was told Sovs expected not only to be taking measures [Page 495] directed at fulfilling treaty requirements but also expected to succeed in doing so.
2. UK Embassy in Washington informed of démarche in accordance with standard practice.
3. Full text of oral démarche as follows:
Begin text: you will recall that on January 16, Acting Assistant Secretary Stabler gave you a note verbale on the subject of Soviet nuclear tests and the Moscow Treaty of August 5, 1963, which bans nuclear tests in the atmosphere, in outer space, and underwater.
In that note, the Government of the United States drew the attention of the Government of the Soviet Union to the fact that radioactive debris, directly associated with the Soviet nuclear tests of August 29 and November 2, 1974, had been collected outside of the borders of the Soviet Union by the United States Government. These tests, therefore, became the 18th and 19th Soviet nuclear explosions which, having caused radioactive debris to be present outside of the Soviet borders, were made the subject of United States Government communications to the Government of the Soviet Union on the subject of Soviet compliance with the terms of the Treaty of Moscow.
The United States Government has reviewed the March 12 oral response of the Government of the Soviet Union to the United States note verbale. This statement, to the effect that appropriate Soviet authorities were and are taking measures directed at fulfillment of the requirements of the Moscow Treaty, does not offer sufficient reassurance. The United States Government wishes to again state its expectation that the Soviet Government, as an original party to the Moscow Treaty, will not only be taking measures directed at fulfilling its treaty requirements, but will succeed in fulfilling these requirements.
The Government of the United States wishes to stress once again that it joins the Soviet Government in attaching great importance to the compliance of all parties with the provisions of the 1963 Treaty of Moscow. The United States Government is fully aware that the Soviet Government expects it to act in a manner which will ensure its compliance with the Moscow Treaty, and assures the Soviet Government that it is taking measures adequate to achieve this end. The United States Government desires a similar assurance from the Government of the Soviet Union that the Soviet Government will not cause radioactive debris to be present outside its national territory. End text.
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Summary: The Department reported that Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs Armitage had met with Soviet Minister Counselor Vorontsov to inform him that the Soviet response to a U.S. note verbale did not offer “adequate reassurance” regarding compliance with the Limited Test Ban Treaty.
Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, D750199–1025. Secret. Drafted by Ben Zook (EUR/SOV); cleared by Ramee, Kelley, Frank Ortiz (S/S), David Palmer (INR), and in draft by McNeill; approved by Armitage. Repeated for information to the Mission to the IAEA at Vienna and London. For the January U.S. note verbale, see Document 113. The Soviet reply was summarized in telegram 58320 to Moscow, March 15. (National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, D750090–0805)
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