Conversation No. 580-20

Date: September 29, 1971
Time: 3:03 pm - 5:00 pm
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Andrei A. Gromyko, Anatoliy F. Dobrynin, William P. Rogers, Henry A.
Kissinger, William Krimer, and Viktor M. Sukhodrev; Ronald L. Ziegler and members of the
press were present at the beginning of the meeting.

     Greetings
                                        38

                       NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                Tape Subject Log
                                  (rev. 10/06)




Photographers
     -Arrangement of people

[Photograph session]

The President's previous meeting with Gromyko
     -Time
     -Berlin Agreement
           -Rogers
     -Arms control
           -US and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics [USSR]

Meeting agenda
     -USSR position, US position

Extension of USSR greetings to the President from Nikolai V. Podgorny, Alexei N.
     Kosygin and Leonid I. Brezhnev

Relations between the USSR and the US
     -Need for common viewpoint between the USSR and the US
           -Bilateral relations
     -Soviet leadership
           -Effort to overcome differences
     -Effort for build-up of relations
           -Peaceful co-existence
           -Avoidance of confrontations
     -Differences in position between the USSR and the US
           -Major issues
                 -Effort towards solving differences
                       -Progress
     -Agreements between four major powers on Berlin
     -Previous discussion between the USSR and the US
           -US role in achieving agreement on Berlin
     -Economic ties between USSR and the US
           -Relationships
     -Peace between the USSR and the US
           -Short-term and long-term goals
     -Significance of power of the US and the USSR
           -Relationship to world problems
           -Cooperation between the US and the USSR
                                  39

               NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                           Tape Subject Log
                             (rev. 10/06)
                                                           Conv. No. 580-20 (cont.)


            -Goals
-Berlin Agreement
      -Significance
      -Effect on European countries
            -Working solution
                  -Progress between the USSR and US
-Peace between USSR and US
      -Brezhnev
      -US position
            -Peaceful relations with Bolivia and other countries
      -World peace
            -Relationships between the USSR and the US
      -US position
            -Importance of face-to-face negotiations
-Berlin Agreement
-Trade relations
      -Kama River project
            -Appropriations
                  -Amount
      -US businessmen's interest
            -The USSR
      -Increase in trade
            -US position
-Strategic Arms Limitation Talks [SALT] negotiations
      -Joint statement of May 20, 1971
            -Commitments
                  -Agreement on defense and offense weapons freeze
      -National security
            -Defense
            -Offensive missiles
                  -USSR numerical advantage
                  -Nuclear submarines
      -Defensive weapons
            -Proposals
                  -US congress
                        -Offensive weapons freeze
      -Weapons balance
      -Importance
      -USSR
            -Offensive weapons build-up
                  -US political effect
                                  40

               NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                          Tape Subject Log
                            (rev. 10/06)
                                                         Conv. No. 580-20 (cont.)


     -Freeze
           -Agreement between US and the USSR
                 -Mutual sufficiency
     -Anti-missile defense
     -Strategic weapons
     -Current talks
           -Status
           -Later negotiations
     -Anti-ballistic missiles [ABMs]
           -Sites
                 -Soviet proposals
                       -National capitals
                       -Intercontinental ballistic missile [ACBM] locations
     -Offensive-strategic weapons
           -Soviet position
                 -Future negotiations
     -Continuation of negotiations
     -French foreign minister Maurice Schumann's statement at United Nations [UN]
           General Assembly meeting
           -US-Soviet negotiations
                 -Strategic arms
                 -ABMs
     -Offensive and defensive weapons
           -Lack of balance
           -Relationship
     -Offensive weapons freeze
           -Difference between US and Soviet activities
-ABMs
     -Soviet proposal
           -Difficulty
     -US position
           -Continuing negotiation
-Europe
     -Need to reduce tension
     -Security conference
     -Berlin Agreement
           -Relationship to all-European security conference
                 -Statement by Rogers
     -Security conference
           -Advantages
           -Interests for western allies
                                    41

                NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                            Tape Subject Log
                              (rev. 10/06)
                                                             Conv. No. 580-20 (cont.)


                -US, Canada
          -Détente in the world
    -Berlin Agreement
          -Progress
                -Effect on other issues
    -Conference
          -Preliminary discussions
                -Warsaw Pact
                -North Atlantic Treaty Organization [NATO]
          -Consultation with allies
          -US-Soviet consultation
                -Need for secrecy
                -Expectation of outcome by both US and USSR before final
                       conference
          -Consultation on preliminary matters before final conference
                -Bilateral consultations
                -Examination of topics
          -Date
          -US position
                -Discussions with allies
    -Berlin treaty
    -Soviet treaty with West Germany
    -European security conference
          -Purpose
          -West Germany-East Germany negotiations
    -Linkage of various negotiations
          -Preliminary discussions
          -Berlin
          -Germans
          -European security conference
                -Preliminary discussions
-Middle East
    -Situation
    -Israel
          -Occupation of Arab territories
                -US proposals
                -Conditions for peace or settlement
                      -Withdrawal of Israeli troops from occupied territories
                            -Freedom of navigation
                            -End of war situation in Middle East
          -Withdrawal of Israeli troops
                                   42

               NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                           Tape Subject Log
                             (rev. 10/06)
                                                         Conv. No. 580-20 (cont.)


     -Dangers for the us and USSR
           -Arms build-up
                 -US congress
                       -Arms to Israel
                       -United Arab republic [UAR]
     -Interim settlement
           -Progress
     -Truce
     -Avoidance of arms build-up
     -Continuation of negotiations
     -Withdrawal of Israeli troops
           -UN resolution in 1967
                 -Wording
           -Acceptability to Israel
     -US position
           -The President’s State of the World message
           -Rogers’ 1969 comments
           -Moderation
     -Proposals by Anwar el-Sadat
           -Rogers's conversation with Mahmoud Riad
           -Troop withdrawal
           -Suez Canal
     -Interim arrangement
           -Possible perception
                 -Arab leaders
           -Specific stages
           -Withdrawal of Israeli forces
           -Date limit
     -Jordan
           -Frontiers with Israel
                 -Agreement
     -Israel
           -Relationship with the US
                 -Guarantees
                 -Biblical Hebrew proverb
                       -Golda Meir
     -Jordan crisis of 1970
           -Avoidance of build-up of tension
-Moscow visit by Indira Gandhi
-Pakistan and India
     -Refugees from East Pakistan
                                                43

                          NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                      Tape Subject Log
                                        (rev. 10/06)
                                                                       Conv. No. 580-20 (cont.)


                     -Situation
                -Possible war
                -Pakistan military strength
                     -Historical background of Indian-Pakistani relations
                           -USSR efforts in the past
                -US desire to avoid armed confrontation
                -USSR
                     -Effort toward peace
                -Pakistan
                     -Peace
                -Gandhi
                     -Discussion of issue with USSR
                -Leaders of Pakistan
                     -Discussion with the USSR
                -Pakistan
                     -US-Pakistani relations

     Visit to Map Room by the President and Gromyko
           -Historic background of use by US President
                -Franklin D. Roosevelt
                      -World War II

     Economic issues
         -Possible visit to Moscow by US Representative
         -Trade
               -Obstacle
                     -Vietnam War

     Vietnam War
          -Status of settlement

     Technical and political issues at summit
         -Consideration by the USSR

Dobrynin, Kissinger, Rogers, Krimer, And Sukhodrev left at 4:39 pm.

     Private discussion between the President and Gromyko

     Possible US-Soviet summit meeting
          -Progress in negotiations
               -SALT negotiations
                                          44

                     NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                 Tape Subject Log
                                   (rev. 10/06)
                                                                Conv. No. 580-20 (cont.)


          -Middle East
                -Progress
     -Need for positive accomplishments
          -Trade
          -Politics

Leonid Brezhnev and Kosygin
     -Correspondence between the president and Brezhnev
          -Timing of reply
          -State department
     -Brezhnev
          -Career
          -Conversation with Gromyko
                -Views on Soviet-US relations
                     -Meeting with Willy Brandt
          -Soviet press
                -Use of the President’s name
                     -USSR leadership
          -Private correspondence
     -The President

The USSR and the Russian people
     -Political system
     -Future of the world
           -The US and the USSR
     -Relations with the US
           -World War II
     -Possibility of new relationship with the US
           -Timing

Kissinger's schedule
     -Forthcoming meeting with Dobrynin
     -Meeting with Gromyko
           -Date
           -Message from the President
                 -Vietnam

Foreign relations and issues
     -Middle East
           -Gromyko’s forthcoming conversation with Kissinger
     -European security conference
                                             45

                          NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                      Tape Subject Log
                                        (rev. 10/06)
                                                               Conv. No. 580-20 (cont.)


               -Handling
                     -Private channel
                     -Ambassador
                     -Secretary of State
          -The President’s involvement
               -Brezhnev

     Middle East
         -USSR arms sales
               -UAR
               -Israeli withdrawal from occupied zones
               -Gromyko’s meeting with Brezhnev
         -USSR military presence
               -Advisors
                     -Analogy to US presence in Cambodia
         -Sensitivity of issues
         -Institutional arrangements
               -Interim agreement
                     -UN
                           -Articles
                           -Security Council
         -Arms sales
         -Summary

     Kissinger's message on Vietnam
          -Private discussion with Gromyko

     Middle east

The President and Gromyko left at 5:00 pm.
                                               46

                           NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                         Tape Subject Log
                                           (rev. 10/06)