Office of the Historian

122. Notes of a Meeting1

Moscow, May 17, 1990, 5:20 p.m.

RB—tactical ALCMs dont count insp of heavy bombers

Sovs—ALCM heavy bomber limit

SLCM disting rule

600/300

US—formula on duration agreed

800 mobile sublimit

Burt—Heavy msls

PCCM

Phasing reduct.

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Backfire

Setback—Sovs—road mobiles verif.

RB—Need Sov movement

—SLCM range

—SLCM distinguish.

—ALCM heavy bomber limits

VK—Concur with RB: some progress, some areas more work.

ALCM—comp. proposal offered

SLCM—need to know how many CMs each side allowed.

# of warheads—US 800 new proposal. Longstanding issue.

1600 → 1200. 800 too low to ensure survivability

Heavy msls—prod. cut off—1993

two test flts per yr.

12 days before summit—this impairs progress

Naz—Phys. elim of casings of warheads

Non-circumvention

ES—open disc. now? Don’t have anything to offer. WG does not req. any real movement. Responded to US proposals, made compromises, expected more from US. That had agreement on heavy msls—now new elements

JB—Share disappointment

—ALCM range 6

—SLCM limit

—Couldn’t accomod. heavy bomber limit

1st time—SLCM distinguish. (conventional)

1st time—data exch. on weapons other than SLCMs

verif. of road mobiles

X—Propose on ALCMs—agree to concept—but not 120—180.

If agree—then agree to concept + heavy bomber limitation.

and agree to grandfather Tacit Rainbow. If agree, will have accommodated all 3 major areas.

INTERVAL

ES—To accomod. your position, step in right direction. Level itself—180 too much. Think over #—WG discuss level—# of aircraft. This evening or tomorrow—hear from WG before mtg. w. Gorb. WG Address “as equipped.”

SLCMs—WG not used all potential—no options suggested

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JB—SLCM disting.

—heavies

[Omitted here are discussions not related to START.]2

  1. Source: George H.W. Bush Library, Bush Presidential Records, Brent Scowcroft Collection, Robert M. Gates Files, Memorandum of Conversation Files, OA/ID 91166–007, I Bob Gates Memcons 1989–1992 [7]. No classification marking. Drafted by Gates, who handwrote the notes. The formal memorandum of conversation is scheduled for publication in Foreign Relations, 1989–1992, vol. III, Soviet Union, Russia, and Post-Soviet States: High-Level Contacts. The editor transcribed the portion of the text here specifically for this volume.↩
  2. Following this meeting, Baker and Shevardnadze discussed Conventional Forces in Europe from 7:40–8:55 p.m. in the Osobnyak Guest House of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. (Department of State, Policy Planning Staff, Lot 03D102, Dennis Ross Files, US/Soviet Memos of Conversation—1989/1990) In telegram 7013 from the Secretary’s Delegation in the USSR, May 18, Baker reported to Bush: “I wanted to give you a short report of where we are and some of my impressions of what’s going on here. To begin with, we’re really slugging it out on the arms control issues. We’ve made some headway on ALCMs, but the gap in SLCMs remains. The going is slow on CFE, but I may have made a little headway with Shevardnadze this evening. I’ll know more tomorrow after seeing Gorbachev.” (Department of State, Central Foreign Policy File, N900003–0325).↩