243. Editorial Note
On December 7, 1987, Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev arrived in Washington, where he was greeted at the airport by Secretary of State George Shultz. The following day, Gorbachev and President Ronald Reagan met in the Oval Office from 10:45 a.m. until 12:30 p.m., before departing for the East Room, where they addressed U.S. and Soviet members of the press and signed the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty. Memoranda of conversation between U.S. and Soviet officials during the 1987 Washington Summit are in printed in Foreign Relations, 1981–1988, volume VI, Soviet Union, October 1986–January 1989, Documents 104–115.
On December 10, 1987, Reagan hosted Gorbachev in a noon meeting in the Oval Office followed by a working luncheon in the Family Dining Room that lasted until 2:10 p.m. “After initial pleasantries,” President Reagan “opened by saying that he’d had a chance to review the joint statement,” and “understood that working delegations were now focused on the START and Defense and Space portions of the statement, and suggested that we get a report.” Gorbachev replied “that meetings were now in progress between Marshal Akhromeyev and Mr. Nitze,” and that in the meantime “he and the President could have some further discussions of regional issues, and the President agreed.” The memorandum of conversation of the meeting between Akhromeyev and Nitze that led to agreement on a joint statement is printed in Foreign Relations, 1981–1988, volume XI, START I, Document 253.
On December 11, in telegram 384489 to all diplomatic and consular posts, the Department of State transmitted the text of the December 10 Joint U.S.-Soviet Summit Statement, which instructed negotiators at the Nuclear and Space Talks to “build upon the agreements on 50-percent [Page 882] reductions achieved at Reykjavik subsequently developed and now reflected in the agreed portions of the Joint Draft START Treaty text being developed in Geneva, including agreement on ceilings of no more than 1600 Strategic Offensive Delivery systems, 6000 warheads, 1540 warheads on 154 heavy missiles; the agreed rule of account for heavy bombers and their nuclear armament; and an agreement that as a result of the reductions the aggregate throw-weight of the Soviet Union’s ICBMs and SLBMs will be reduced to a level approximately 50-percent below the existing level, and this level will not be exceeded by either side.” The statement also stated: “Taking into account the preparation of the treaty on Strategic Offensive Arms, the leaders of the two countries also instructed their delegations in Geneva to work out an agreement that would commit the sides to observe the ABM Treaty, as signed in 1972, while conducting their research, development, and testing as required, which are permitted by the ABM Treaty, and not to withdraw from the ABM Treaty, for a specified period of time. Intensive discussions of strategic stability shall begin not later than three years before the end of the specified period, after which, in the event the sides have not agreed otherwise, each side will be free to decide its course of action. Such an agreement must have the same legal status as the treaty on Strategic Offensive Arms, the ABM Treaty, and other similar, legally binding agreements. This agreement will be recorded in a mutually satisfactory manner. Therefore, they direct their delegations to address these issues on a priority basis.” (Department of State, Central Foreign Policy File, Electronic Telegrams, D871015–0592)