106. Memorandum From the Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs (Eagleburger) to Secretary of State Haig1

SUBJECT

  • Guidance on US/Soviet Summit

Mr. Secretary,

Senator Percy reportedly told members of the press today that he has your commitment to “aim for” a US/Soviet summit in 1982. With[Page 363]out commenting on Percy’s statement, we prepared the attached guidance2 which gives our long-standing position on the summit question. The issue came up at the noon briefing, and this guidance was used.

We subsequently learned from a correspondent that Percy is also claiming to have Dick Allen’s commitment to a summit, and that Allen allegedly told Percy that preparations are underway. The correspondent told us he then put this question to Ed Meese, who said a summit is “under consideration.” Asked how actively it is being considered, Meese is said to have replied: “Just say it’s under consideration.”

Although our guidance still seems right to me, I’m concerned that we may be on a somewhat different wave length than the White House on this issue.3

  1. Source: Library of Congress, Manuscript Division, Haig Papers, Department of State, Day File, Box 59, November 24, 1981. Confidential; Sensitive. A stamped notation on the memorandum reads: “AMH.”
  2. Attached but not printed is a November 24 paper drafted by Rueckert and entitled “Reagan/Brezhnev Summit” which states that Reagan and Haig “have indicated in principle U.S. readiness to go to a summit if this would serve a useful purpose and hold good prospects of concrete results,” but had no set timetable.
  3. At the bottom of the memorandum, Haig drew an arrow pointing to this paragraph and wrote: “So what’s new? AH”