Foreign Relations of the United States, 1981–1988, Volume IV, Soviet Union, January 1983–March 1985

80. Memorandum From the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Clark) to President Reagan¹

Washington, August 23, 1983

SUBJECT

• Proposed Speech on U.S.-Soviet Relations

George Shultz has sent you a draft of a speech on U.S.-Soviet relations that he suggests you deliver sometime in the near future (Tab A).²

Although he suggests some alternative times to give the speech, his main rationale seems to be that the public needs a fuller explanation of our policy toward the Soviets—a follow-up to his own Senate Foreign Relations Committee testimony.³ Indeed, since the substance of that testimony was reported in considerably divergent ways by the press, there is a good case to be made that further explanation to the public is necessary to clarify the confusion. This draft is quite good in many respects, although it does need a little work in removing a few inconsistencies.

Unless George has a more specific strategy in mind, I feel that it may be premature to decide on the final contents, tone and timing of the speech.⁴ It may be a good idea to wait and see how George’s first meeting with Gromyko turns out and how the INF situation develops in the early fall.

Perhaps the best thing to do at this point is for us to discuss with George a strategy for this speech and get a better idea of what he has in mind.

1. Source: Reagan Library, Executive Secretariat, NSC Country File, Europe and Soviet Union, USSR (08/05/83–08/09/83). Confidential. Sent for information. Prepared by Lenczowski.
2. See Document 78. Clark wrote at the end of the memorandum: “We will be meeting on this subject in preparation for George’s Madrid/Gromyko meeting when we return to Washington.” Reagan wrote in the upper right-hand corner of the memorandum: “I believe the speech should be given before George’s meetings with Gromyko. It might make these meetings more fruitful. RR.” According to the President’s Daily Diary, the President was at his ranch in California from August 15 to September 2. (Reagan Library, President’s Daily Diary) Shultz was scheduled to meet with Gromyko in Madrid in early September at the CSCE meeting.
3. See Document 61.
4. Fortier and Keyes sent Clark a separate memorandum on August 23 regarding the draft speech. Clark’s stamp appears on this memorandum with the date “8/24,” so it seems the memorandum reached Clark after he sent the memorandum to Reagan on August 23. Fortier and Keyes wrote: “We share many of the concerns John Lenczowski expressed in his recent cover memo on State’s proposed U.S.-Soviet speech. Should the speech be given in its present form, its internal inconsistency would guarantee politically motivated criticism from all sides.” The memorandum continued: “the speech must also help people to understand that U.S.-Soviet relations consist of much more than what we do and say directly to one another. Rather, what we do in places as diverse as Chad, Central America and Lebanon will shape Soviet perceptions of us as well as create disincentives for additional Soviet adventurism. This is a crucial point, but one that is frequently obscured by fashionable talk about the need for ‘dialogue’. The speech should also make it clear that it is precisely our concern for general peace in the nuclear era that causes us to view action based on intimidation and force as a grave threat to human welfare everywhere. As long as Soviet behavior relies upon these tools, we cannot be hopeful about an end to the overall competition between U.S. and Soviet policies and aims.” (Reagan Library, Executive Secretariat, NSC Country File, Europe and Soviet Union, USSR (08/05/83–08/09/83))