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

187. Telegram 5682 From the Embassy in the Soviet Union to the Department of State¹

Moscow, April 13, 1976, 0511Z.

5682. Subject: My Call on Gromyko: Disarmament Questions.

1. During my call on Soviet Foreign Minister Gromyko on April 12 on another matter (septel) I mentioned successful conclusion of the negotiations for an agreement on peaceful nuclear explosions (PNEs). I mentioned the favorable comments by the President and the Secretary on the draft agreement and said that those of us who were involved also felt that this was a useful step forward. Gromyko replied that “we are very satisfied that we were able to reach agreement.” This is a good step for bilateral relations and for the general state of international relations, he continued.

2. He then asked about the status of the Soviet proposals to ban new weapons of mass destruction (NWMD) which had been discussed during Secretary Kissinger’s visit. These proposals, he said, seemed to be suspended between the ceiling and the floor and he mentioned having sent us a note on the subject. I replied that our answering note had pointed out that we were not prepared for talks yet and that there had been no further word since that time. Gromyko said that following the PNE agreement we should move forward on other matters such as the NWMD. I replied that perhaps such talks could be held in the framework of the CCD in Geneva, at which Korniyenko interjected that the U.S. had not sent its experts on this subject to Geneva. I said that we would ask about the status of the proposed talks on this subject.

3. Gromyko then raised the question of a comprehensive test ban agreement and said that the means to reach such an agreement exists technically. Both sides, he said, should work toward it. Although some countries will not participate (he mentioned China, France, “and perhaps others”), it would still be beneficial if the two main nuclear powers could agree to end all tests. Without it there is no example for other countries to follow. Such an accord would draw attention to the problem and would encourage others to follow suit. I said that we viewed the TTB and the PNE agreements as useful steps and that both needed to be completed before we could talk concretely about further limitations on weapons tests or discussion of multilateral application of the agreements. I stressed that we were still not completely satisfied with the inspection and verification procedures in connection with a CTB and that this remained an area where we thought further steps would be necessary.

4. Gromyko said that the UN is an appropriate forum for disarmament discussions and various resolutions and various organs through which to promote disarmament talks. Gromyko mentioned SYG Waldheim’s proposals concerning personnel for these UN bodies, “but the U.S. does not send any representatives” and does [garble] Gromyko, the U.S. does not have enough experts, or enough money to pay the experts.

5. The conversation then turned to other matters of bilateral relations.

Stoessel

1. Summary: Ambassador Stoessel provided a summary of his April 12 call on Soviet Foreign Minister Gromyko, during which they discussed the conclusion of the PNE negotiations, the Soviet new weapons of mass destruction proposal, and a comprehensive test ban.

   Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, D760143–0740. Secret; Exdis. All brackets are in the original except those indicating garbled text. Telegram 5681 from Moscow, April 13, and telegram 5686 from Moscow, April 13, are ibid., D760139–0577 and D760139–0298. The negotiations on the PNE agreement ended successfully on April 8. See Document 192.