Federal Republic of Germany, 1973–1976


292. Memorandum From the Assistant Secretary of State for European and Canadian Affairs (Hartman) to the Deputy Under Secretary of State for Management (Eagleburger)

Summary: Hartman reported some findings of the Church Multinational Subcommittee staff concerning West Germany.

Source: National Archives, RG 59, Records of Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, Entry 5403, Box 24, Classified “C” Material. Secret; Eyes Only. Drafted by David Anderson in EUR/CE. At the end of the final sentence of the final paragraph, an unknown hand added the word “orally.”


293. Memorandum From the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Canadian Affairs (Lowenstein) to the Deputy Under Secretary of State for Management (Eagleburger)

Summary: Lowenstein reported findings of the Church Multinational Subcommittee staff concerning West Germany.

Source: National Archives, RG 59, Records of Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, Entry 5403, Box 24, Classified “C” Material. Secret; Eyes Only. Drafted by David Anderson in EUR/CE. Forwarded to Kissinger, with an October 3 memorandum from Lowenstein to Eagleburger and Document 292, under cover of an October 7 note from Eagleburger. Kissinger wrote on the bottom of Eagleburger’s note, “Want to take up tomorrow with President.” (Ibid.) On October 8, Kissinger told Ford: “We have a potentially embarrassing problem. Bribes to Prince Berhanrd and Franz Josef Strauss of the CSU from Lockheed. We must do everything possible to keep this quiet. If the CSU is destroyed in Germany it will really shake Germany and strengthen the left.” Ford replied, “You are saying we have to keep that from getting into print. How much is involved?” Kissinger responded, “Yes. It runs into millions. It involved the F–104.” (Memorandum of conversation, October 8; Ford Library, National Security Adviser, Memoranda of Conversation, Box 15)


294. Memorandum From the Counselor (Sonnenfeldt) and Jan Lodal of the National Security Council Staff to Secretary of State Kissinger

Summary: Sonnenfeldt discussed the status of the U.S. request for a new bilateral offset agreement with the FRG.

Source: National Archives, RG 59, Records of the Office of the Counselor, Helmut C. Sonnenfeldt, 1955–1977, Entry 5339, Box 5, Germany 1975. Secret; Exclusively Eyes Only. Sonnenfeldt initialed the memorandum on Lodal’s behalf. Kissinger initialed his approval of the first recommendation. Schmidt and Ford met in Washington on October 3; a memorandum of conversation on their talks, during which they discussed the economic summit, Spain, arms sales policy, and SALT II, is in Ford Library, National Security Adviser, Memoranda of Conversation, Box 15.


295. Telegram 59654 From the Department of State to the Embassy in the Federal Republic of Germany

Summary: The Department forwarded a letter from Kissinger to Genscher concerning the possible sale by the FRG of a heavy water plant to Pakistan.

Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy Files, 1976, [no film number]. Secret; Immediate; Exdis. Sent immediate for information to Paris, Ottawa, Islamabad, and Tehran. Drafted by Gerald Oplinger in PM/NPO; cleared by Passage in S, Vest, Ortiz in S/S, Bartholomew, EUR, NEA/PAB, OES, H, and EA; and approved by Sonnenfeldt.


296. Memorandum From the Director of the Policy Planning Staff (Lord) to Secretary of State Kissinger

Summary: Lord summarized a memorandum written by a member of his staff entitled, “The New Germany, European Stability and the Acheson System.”

Source: National Archives, RG 59, Records of Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, Entry 5403, Box 19, NODIS Briefing Memos, 1976, Folder 1. Secret. Drafted by Phillip Kaplan in S/P. Attached but not published is the paper, which was drafted by Kaplan on April 5.


297. Memorandum of Conversation

Summary: Genscher, Hermes, Kissinger, and Sonnenfeldt discussed nuclear non-proliferation.

Source: National Archives, RG 59, Records of the Office of the Counselor, Helmut C. Sonnenfeldt, 1955–1977, Entry 5339, Box 5, Germany 1976. Secret; Nodis.All brackets are in the original. The meeting took place in the Sitting Room at Schloss Gymnich. In his opening comments, Genscher referred to a discussion with Kissinger concerning offset. No record of this conversation was found. Kissinger was in Bonn on May 23 to meet with Schmidt and Genscher. In a May 11 memorandum to Kissinger, Sonnenfeldt discussed the proposed nuclear agreement between the FRG and Iran. (Ibid.)


298. Memorandum From the Counselor (Sonnenfeldt) to Secretary of State Kissinger

Summary: Sonnenfeldt passed on, with comments, the FRG response to Kissinger’s suggestion of a reprocessing moratorium.

Source: National Archives, RG 59, Records of the Office of the Counselor, Helmut C. Sonnenfeldt, 1955–1977, Entry 5339, Box 5, Germany 1976. Secret; Sensitive; Eyes Only. Kissinger initialed his approval of Sonnenfeldt’s recommendation. A handwritten notation at the bottom of the memorandum reads, “rec’d 6/2. JK [?] will inform Vest on his return.”


299. Memorandum From the Counselor (Sonnenfeldt) to Secretary of State Kissinger

Summary: Sonnenfeldt discussed the proposed FRG agreement with Iran on nuclear reprocessing.

Source: National Archives, RG 59, Records of the Office of the Counselor, Helmut C. Sonnenfeldt, 1955–1977, Entry 5339, Box 5, Germany 1976. Secret; Eyes Only. Attached but not published is an undated memorandum from Vest. The aide-mémoire to which Sonnenfeldt refers is attached as Tab 3 to Vest’s memorandum; it is telegram 128397 to Tehran, May 25, which expresses U.S. reservations concerning the proposed FRG-Iran Nuclear Cooperation Agreement. Kissinger wrote at the bottom of Sonnenfeldt’s memorandum, “I will meet Von Staden.”


300. Memorandum of Conversation

Summary: Kissinger and Von Staden discussed the FRG/Iran Agreement for Nuclear Cooperation.

Source: National Archives, RG 59, Records of the Office of the Counselor, Helmut C. Sonnenfeldt, 1955–1977, Entry 5339, Box 5, Germany 1976. Secret; Nodis. Drafted by Louis Nosenzo in PM/NPO on July 6; and cleared by Leon Fuerth in C. The meeting took place in the Secretary’s Office. In an undated memorandum to Kissinger, Vest analyzed the documents on the FRG/Iran agreement given to the Department by Von Staden on July 2. (Ibid.)


301. Memorandum of Conversation

Summary: Schmidt, Ford, and Kissinger discussed U.S.–FRG bilateral relations, the Olympics, U.S.–FRG defense relations, Italy, Portugal and Spain, the Soviet Union, and SALT.

Source: Ford Library, National Security Adviser, Memoranda of Conversation, Box 20. Secret; Nodis. All brackets are in the original except those indicating text that remains classified. The meeting took place in the Oval Office. Schmidt paid an official visit to Washington from July 15 to 17. A memorandum of conversation recording a July 16 meeting among Schmidt, Ford, Kissinger, Scowcroft, and Genscher, during which they discussed offset, the Olympics, aid to Africa, SALT, CSCE, southern Africa, Greece and Turkey, and Saudi Arabia, is ibid.


302. Letter From President Ford to West German Chancellor Schmidt

Summary: Ford replied to Schmidt’s July 29 letter on U.S.–FRG bilateral offset and NORTHAG.

Source: Ford Library, National Security Adviser, Kissinger-Scowcroft West Wing Office Files, Box 35, West Germany (7) (7/16/76–11/23/76). Secret. In a July 29 letter to Ford, Schmidt noted that Kissinger and Scheel had recently agreed that the traditional U.S.–FRG offset arrangement was “no longer applicable in view of significant improvements in the fields of international monetary and economic policy.” Nevertheless, Schmidt continued, FRG military procurement in the U.S. “can be expected to continue as in the past.” Schmidt also said that while the FRG would pay DM 171.2 million towards the military accommodation of the NORTHAG brigade, this did not commit the FRG to pay brigade stationing costs, which were the responsibility of the U.S. Schmidt concluded by noting that the FRG would not rule out consideration of contributions “in future exceptional cases which lie in the interests of collective defense.” (Ibid.)


303. Memorandum From the Deputy Secretary of State (Robinson) to Secretary of State Kissinger

Summary: Robinson briefed Kissinger on FRG-Brazil nuclear issues.

Source: National Archives, RG 59, Policy Planning Council, Policy Planning Staff, Director’s Files (Winston Lord), 1969–1977, Entry 5027, Box 367, WL Sensitive/Non-China 12/76. Top Secret; Nodis. Drafted by Jan Kalicki in S/P. Attached but not published are undated proposed talking points.