Office of the Historian

199. Memorandum From Arnold Kanter of the National Security Council Staff to Florence Gantt of the National Security Council Staff1

Washington, January 31, 1991, 11:57 a.m.

SUBJECT

  • START team to GENEVA

Florence:

Please give the following message to Brent and Bob. Thanks.

—Arnie2

Brent:

As I mentioned to you yesterday, the plan is for the Bartholomew-led “working group” to schlep to Geneva next week to meet with Obukov to “complete” the START treaty. This step implements the Baker–Bessmyertnykh agreement to reconvene the Bartholomew-Obukov [Page 998] talks and follows through on Baker’s public statement that the President had directed him to make every effort to complete START by the end of February.

You were comfortable with this plan provided there were a clear set of decisions and instructions before folks got on the airplane.

Paul Wolfowitz is refusing to clear the cable to Moscow informing the Soviets of our plans to meet them in Geneva. Paul’s refusal evidently reflects Steve Hadley’s reluctance to be seen to be in too much of a “hurry” to re-engage the Soviets. (It also may reflect Cheney’s profound unhappiness about the bad surprise of the Baker-Bessmertnykh joint statement on the Middle East.)3 Paul doesn’t want to address the subject further (nor clear the cable) until Steve returns to town Saturday4 and they have a chance to talk.

No one I know is eager to go to Geneva. At the same time, I see no percentage in playing hard to get on the timing of when we meet again with Soviets, especially in view of the public assertion of the President’s commitment to wrap up START within a month. (I see every reason to play hard—or impossible—to get on the substance.)

I don’t think there is anything you need to do now, other than stand by for a complaining phone call from Baker and perhaps a willingness to support his efforts to get this trip unstuck.

—Arnie5
  1. Source: George H.W. Bush Library, Bush Presidential Records, National Security Council, John A. Gordon Files, Subject Files, OA/ID CF01034–007, START—January 1991 [4]. Confidential. Copied to Hall, Uhl, Gordon, Davis, and Kuehne. A stamped notation indicates Scowcroft saw the memorandum. Scowcroft wrote at the top of the memorandum, “Thanks. BS”↩
  2. Printed from a copy bearing Kanter’s typed signature.↩
  3. Reference is to Baker and Bessmertnykh’s joint statement of January 29, “US-USSR and the Persian Gulf.” (Department of State Dispatch, February 4, 1991, p. 71)↩
  4. February 2.↩
  5. Printed from a copy bearing Kanter’s typed signature.↩