239. Telegram From the Department of State to Secretary of State Baker’s Delegation1
SUBJECT
- Bessmertnykh-Baker Message on START Problem
1. (S—Entire Text)
2. On July 22, Soviet Ambassador Komplektov delivered to Acting Secretary Eagleburger an “oral message” (text in para 4) from Soviet Foreign Minister Bessmertnykh to Secretary Baker. After Komplektov handed over the text, Eagleburger consulted with Undersecretary Bartholomew who told the acting Secretary that the dispute to which the letter alluded probably concerned the distinction between launchers and canisters. Bartholomew also confirmed that the hold-up in Geneva was in fact due to general Soviet footdragging.
3. Eagleburger told Komplektov that he would ensure Bessmertnykh’s message was transmitted to the Secretary immediately.
4. Begin text of message (Soviet Embassy translation corrected by EUR/SOV):
Dear Jim,
As a result of the agreement reached between the USSR and the U.S. Presidents in London, the work to prepare the START treaty has gone to the finishing stretch in the full sense of the word. Reports reaching us from Geneva indicate that, by and large, the two delegations are successfully moving ahead to translate into treaty language the understandings which had been reached in principle.
We are doing everything to help the delegations successfully fulfill their instructions to complete the preparation of the documents for signing during the upcoming summit in the USSR. To this end, we have dispatched to Geneva an additional group of senior Soviet experts. Under these circumstances it is particularly important that in the process of finalizing the draft documents there emerge no artificial obstacles or hitches. I am speaking about this because, according to our information, the U.S. delegation in Geneva is attempting to re-open certain strictly technical issues which earlier had already been discussed in detail and resolved.
[Page 1121]In conditions of extremely limited time such actions cannot but cause serious concern. I would think that both sides’ efforts should now be focused on finding the shortest routes to solutions and ensuring high-quality preparation of complex and voluminous texts.
I would ask you to give additional appropriate instructions to the U.S. representatives in Geneva so as to remove unnecessary difficulties at this particularly important stage of preparing the START treaty for signature.
Sincerely,
A. Bessmertnykh
End text
5. Should the Secretary wish to respond, we have drafted the following brief message:
Dear Sasha:
I fully share the sense of urgency you expressed in your recent message to me, which Ambassador Komplektov delivered to Larry Eagleburger. It is incumbent on both our delegations to do their utmost to prepare these documents so President Bush and President Gorbachev can sign the START treaty in Moscow next week.
Frankly, I must say that our principal concern at this point is the very measured approach the Soviet delegation has taken toward the urgent task of finalizing the treaty documents. Ambassador Brooks and his team returned to Geneva last week with full authority to finalize all aspects of the treaty and are ready and eager to bring this process to a quick conclusion. I trust the Soviet delegation will now be in a position to finish up this job as well.
Sincerely,
James A. Baker III
- Source: Department of State, Central Foreign Policy File, Electronic Telegrams, N910005–0368. Secret; Immediate; Nodis. Sent Immediate for information to Moscow and NST Geneva. Drafted by Ordway; cleared by Vershbow and Timbie, and in D, S/S, and S/S-O; approved by Kamman. Baker was in Jerusalem July 21–22 meeting with Israeli and Palestinian leaders in advance of a Middle East peace conference.↩