Foreign Relations of the United States, 1981–1988, Volume V, Soviet Union, March 1985–October 1986

290. Notes of a Meeting¹

Washington, September 26, 1986

Daniloff

Outcome of Meeting with the President

1300–1400

As the result of our meeting, my negotiating authority is as follows:²

1.) I may agree to Daniloff, Zakharov, and Orlov all being released on the same day.

2.) Alternatively,³ I may agree to Daniloff being released on Day One, Zakharov being released 24 hours later, and Orlov 10 days after that (but before the meeting at Reykjavik) on condition that Orlov’s release will be announced when Zakharov is released.

3.) The present situation regarding the Soviet UN Mission, i.e.

—They are below 218

—They will provide us with a list of those who already have departed and those who are in the process of doing so

—At Reykjavik Shevardnadze will provide further information on Soviet mission personnel situation

—Shevardnadze has put down a marker regarding 2 or 3 people at the Soviet mission. I have authorization to negotiate changes in the list of 25 as long as I stay within the overall list.⁴

4.) The announcement of the Reykjavik meeting should come a day or so after the releases, with the period being used to get Icelandic government agreement.⁵ We would seek such agreement as quickly as possible as there are many arrangements to be made.

1. Source: Department of State, Executive Secretariat, S/S Records, Top Secret/Secret Sensitive Memorandum, Lot 91D257, Daniloff Detention in the USSR September 1986, Yogurt II. No classification marking. Prepared by Hill. The editor transcribed Hill’s handwritten notes specifically for this volume. An image of the notes is Appendix C. A note in the upper-right corner reads: “9/26 1600.” Shultz evidently dictated the text to Hill at 4 p.m. after returning to his office from the White House. In his memoir, Shultz recalled that on September 26, he “met with President Reagan at the White House in the early afternoon. Regan and Poindexter were present, too. We discussed in excruciating detail the phrasings of what we would accept from the Soviets: how many hours would pass between the release of Daniloff and that of Zakharov, when and how various steps would be publicly announced, and so on. I took care to get everything down in writing and read my notes back to the president. I wanted to be absolutely sure I was operating with clear presidential authority.” (Shultz, Turmoil and Triumph, p. 746) Reagan wrote in his diary on September 26: “After lunch a meeting with Geo. S., Cap W. & Bill Casey plus our W.H. people Don R. John P. etc. It was a sum up of where we stand in negotiations between Geo. & Shevardnadze. The difference between us is their desire to make it look like a trade for Daniloff & their spy Zakharov. We’ll trade Zakharov but for Soviet dissidents. We settled on some bottom line points beyond which we wont budge.” (Brinkley, ed., The Reagan Diaries, vol. II: November 1985–January 1989, pp. 642–643) According to the President’s Daily Diary, Reagan met with Shultz, Weinberger, Regan, and Poindexter from 1:32 to 2:36 p.m. (Reagan Library, President’s Daily Diary)
2. In a September 25 memorandum to Reagan, Shultz previewed the basic formulation that was decided during the meeting. (Department of State, Executive Secretariat, S/S Records, Top Secret/Secret Sensitive Memorandum, Lot 91D257, Daniloff Detention in the USSR September 1986, Yogurt II)
3. “Alternatively” was inserted.
4. “Satisfactory” is written in parentheses in the left-hand margin next to these four points.
5. “announcement of the” and “a day or so” were inserted.