75. Memorandum From Secretary of State Shultz to President Reagan1
SUBJECT
- Soviet Views on Gorbachev/Shevardnadze Meetings
The Soviet charge d’affaires came in this afternoon to share Moscow’s current thinking on arrangements for Geneva and Shevardnadze’s September visit to the U.S.2
Geneva Arrangements
On Geneva, the Soviets feel “strongly” that meetings should alternate between their mission and ours. While we continue to feel that the advantages of a neutral site justify one more attempt to bring them around, we could minimize the difficulties of dual locations by using your residence as “our” venue. As the building normally used by the Soviets in Geneva is in fact the residence of their Consul General, there would be no symmetry problem.
On social events, Moscow shares our view that informal dinners the evenings of November 19 and 20 would be most appropriate. They have proposed, however, that the Swiss reception be the evening of November 18, which would make your first encounter with Gorbachev a public one. This is clearly not acceptable from our standpoint, and the Charge’s reaction when we shared our concerns with him suggested the Soviets may ultimately be receptive to our arguments that the reception should come before dinner on the twentieth. We will try again.
The Charge indicated Gorbachev will arrive in Geneva the afternoon of November 18, and that he has agreed to meet with the Swiss President. Mrs. Gorbacheva will accompany him, but there are as yet no details on her program or interests in Geneva.
Shevardnadze Visit
Shevardnadze would hope to meet with you at the White House September 27. (He will be accompanying Gorbachev to Paris during [Page 307] the first days of October, and will return to Moscow directly from Washington the morning of September 28 if we agree on the twenty-seventh). Depending on whether a morning or afternoon session was most convenient for you, he would come down from New York the night before your meeting or the same day.
Shevardnadze proposed that he and I meet in New York September 25 from 2:00 to 6:00 p.m., and indicated that he would be prepared to have a second meeting with me on the twenty-seventh if time permitted. As you will recall, such a scenario worked well last year with Gromyko. If you agree, we will confirm to the Soviets that you are prepared to see Shevardnadze the morning of September 27, and propose that he and I hold a follow-up session that afternoon.
- Source: Reagan Library, Jack Matlock Files, US-USSR Summits, 1985–1986, Reagan-Shevardnadze Meeting 9/27/85 (1 of 7). Secret; Sensitive. According to another copy, the memorandum was drafted by Parris and cleared by Palmer and Ridgway. (Reagan Library, George Shultz Papers, Executive Secretariat Sensitive (08/13/1985); NLR–775–14–10–3–2)↩
- In a covering memorandum to Shultz attached to another copy of the memorandum, Ridgway noted that she met Sokolov on the afternoon of August 13. (Ibid.)↩