Conversation No. 790-7

Date: October 2, 1972
Time: 10:08 am - 11:18 am
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Andrei A. Gromyko, Anatoliy F. Dobrynin, William P. Rogers, Henry A.
Kissinger, Helmut (“Hal”) Sonnenfeldt, and Viktor M. Sukhodrev; members of the press and the
White House photographer were present at the beginning of the meeting.

        Photograph session
            -Arrangements

        Gromyko's schedule
           -New York
               -United Nations [UN]

        [Photographic session]
            -[General conversation]
                -Leonid I. Brezhnev’s forthcoming visit to US
                -Camp David
                    -Compared to Caucasus resorts
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Gromyko's Experiences
   -Soviet Union embassy appointment
       -Konstantin A. Umansky

US-Soviet Union negotiations
   -Moscow meeting, May 1972
   -Past areas of discussions
       -Progress
       -Trade
       -Environment
       -Science
       -Health
       -Arms Control
            -Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty [SALT] treaty signing, October 3, 1972
                 -Importance
       -European Security Conference

Refreshments

US – Soviet Union negotiations
    -Past areas of discussions
        -Mutual Balanced Forced Reductions [MBFR]
        -SALT I
        -SALT II
             -Potential difficulties
        -The President’s previous meetings with Gromyko
             -Executive Office Building [EOB]
             -Issues
                  -Trade
                  -Environment
                  -Trade
                  -Health
                  -Arms Control
                  -European Security
                  -SALT
                  -Vietnam

Greetings
    -Leonid I. Brezhnev
    -Aleksei N. Kosygin
    -Nikolai V. Podgorny
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Soviet Union leaders' reaction to May 1972 meetings with the President
    -Moscow Meeting
        -Importance
            -US-Soviet relations

SALT agreements
   -Forthcoming SALT talks
       -Potential difficulties
       -Soviet Union intentions


European Affairs
    -[Berlin] treaties
        -Federal Republic of Germany [FRG]
             -Soviet Union
             -Poland
        -Effect
        -US role
    -European security conference
        -Kissinger
             -Moscow meeting
        -Rogers
             -US
        -The President
             -Moscow meeting, May 1972
        -Potential success

Forthcoming election in US

SALT II
   -Timing for new discussions
        -1972 election
            -The President’s schedule
                 -November 21, 1972
        -Announcement
            -October 16, 1972

European security conference
    -Timing for discussions
        -Announcement
            -October 17, 1972
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        -MBFR
        -November 22, 1972
           -SALT II

Vietnam negotiations
    -Paris talks
         -Kissinger
              -Le Duc Tho
         -Public discussions
         -The President’s view
              -Progress
                  -North Vietnam's attitude
                  -US attitude
         -North Vietnam’s attitude
    -Present situation contrasted with 1968
         - 1968 election
         -Assumptions
              -Pressure on US to make a deal
    -Settlement timing
         -1972 election
         -1972 election as mandate
         -US attitude
              -Rogers
              -Kissinger
         -US proposals
         -Sacrifices
         -North Vietnamese
         -Loss of life
              -US
              -South Vietnamese
              -North Vietnamese
                  -Concern
         -The President's meeting
              -Brezhnev
              -Podgorny
              -Kosygin
              -Gromyko
              -Vietnam as agenda item
         -Soviet Union leadership efforts
         -1972 election
    -Soviet Union position
         -US government efforts to end war
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       -Post-Vietnam war US-Soviet Union relations
    -War's effect on international atmosphere
       -UN
             -Agenda

Middle East
   -Assessment of situation
        -Gromyko’s view
        -Complications
   -Settlement
        -The President's Moscow meeting
        -Progress
        -Big powers' role
        -The President’s view
             -Difficulty of issues
                  -Vietnam
                  -SALT
                  -European security
                  -Middle East historic situation
                       -Political rhetoric in US
                            -1972 election
                  -US political considerations
                       -1972 election
   -US political considerations
        -Domestic leaders
             -Strength
        -The President's political opponents
        -Post-1972 election possibilities of settlement
        -Present situation continuation
             -Truce unpredictability
             -Israelis
             -Syrians
             -Basis for settlement
                  -Israel
                  -Possible Soviet Union role
                       -Influence
                  -Possible US role
                       -Influence
             -US goal
                  -Potential progress
                  -Rogers
   -Political climate
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           -Munich Olympics killings
           -Lebanon
                -Retaliation
           -Outlook for next few months
                -Pre-Munich Israeli statements
                      -Flexibility
                      -Possible interim solutions
                          -Suez Canal
                      -Discussions with Egypt
                          -Yigal Allon
                          -Moshe Dayan
           -Interim settlement [UN Resolution 242]
                -Possible withdrawal and cease-fire
           -Israel's interests
                -Timing for negotiations
                -Arms
                -Recent retaliation
           -US priority
           -Israel
                -Arabs
                      -Points of view
                -Munich
                      -Egypt
                      -View of terrorists’ action
                          -Israel's response
                      -Possible disassociation with the Fedayeen
           -Prospects for change
                -The President’s view
                      -Soviet response
                -Settlement
                      -Soviet Union view
                          -US
                          -Peace

Far East

Middle East
   -Difficulties
        -Superpower clients
            -Munich
            -Israel's reaction
                 -The President's view
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        -Search for solution
            -Timing
                 -Rogers
                 -Munich
                 -Political situation
            -US influence
            -US-USSR desire for solution

Far East
    -Meeting of Japanese and People's Republic of China [PRC] leaders
         -Statements
              -Tone
         -Soviet Union principles
              -Soviet Union relations with Japan
                  -PRC
              -Soviet Union relations with PRC
         -PRC-Japan relationships
              -Improvement
                  -Soviet Union
                  -US
    -Gromyko's statement
         -US objectives
              -PRC
                  -Normalization of relations
              -Japan
                  -US treaty commitment
         -Japan-PRC relations
              -US view
                  -Reduction of conflict
                  -Historical context
              -Japan
                  -Military
                  -Economic potential
              -US attitude
              -Kakuei Tanaka
                  -PRC
              -PRC’s interests
                  -Japan
              -Soviet Union and US interests
              -Communiqué
                  -Compared to Shanghai Communiqué
         -Vietnam
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                            Tape Subject Log
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        -Middle East
            -Economic potential
            -Great Power involvement
                 -Compared to Vietnam
        -Japan
            -Status as an economic power
                 -Soviet Union
                 -US
        -PRC
            -Population
        -Importance
            -US-USSR efforts

US-Soviet Union relations
   -Moscow talks
       -Henry M. (“Scoop”) Jackson amendment
             -May 1972 summit
                 -Rogers
                     -UN
                          -Soviet Union assessment
   -Forthcoming dinner for Gromyko
   -Visit of Soviet Leadership
       -[Brezhnev]
       -Timing
       -Message for Brezhnev
             -Correspondence
             -Moscow meeting, May 1972
       -SALT II
       -European security conference
       -Middle East
       -Vietnam
   -US-Soviet Union grain deal
       -New York Times article
       -Prices
             -Communists
                 -Capitalists
       -Trade agreements
   -Exit visas from Soviet Union
       -US political considerations
       -US public comments
       -Rogers
       -Significance of issue
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        Escort

The President, Gromyko et al. left at 11:18 am.