Strategic Arms Control and the Abortive Summit July-December 1968
307. Memorandum Prepared by Secretary of State Rusk
Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Rostow Files, Chlodnick File. Top Secret; Eyes Only.
308. Message From the Government of the Soviet Union to the Government of the United States
Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Rostow Files, Chlodnick. No classification marking. The message is marked “Unofficial translation.” It was handed to Rusk by Gromyko on October 2; see Document 307. The Russian text is attached but not printed.
309. Memorandum From the President’s Special Assistant (Rostow) to President Johnson
Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Rostow Files, Chlodnick File. Secret; Literally Eyes Only.
310. Memorandum of Conversation Between Secretary of State Rusk and Foreign Minister Gromyko
Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Rostow Files, Chlodnick. Top Secret; Eyes Only.
311. Memorandum From the Deputy Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs (Bohlen) to Secretary of State Rusk
Source: National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Bohlen Files: Lot 74 D 379, Memoranda Drafted in G. Secret. A handwritten note by Bohlen at the top of the memorandum reads: “Shown to Sec—not relevant—no discussion of meeting.”
312. Memorandum From the President’s Special Assistant (Rostow) to President Johnson
Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Rostow Files, Chlodnick File. Secret; Harvan Double Plus; Literally Eyes Only for President and Secretary of State.
314. Telegram From the Embassy in the Soviet Union to the Department of State
Source: National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Central Files 1967–69, POL US–USSR. Secret; Immediate; Exdis.
315. Memorandum of Conversation
Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Memos to the President—Walt Rostow, Vol. 105. Secret; Exdis. Drafted by Thompson and approved in S/S on November 13. Rostow forwarded the memorandum to the President under a November 14 covering note. (Ibid.) The memorandum is part 1 of 3. Part 2 is Document 316. In part 3 Dobrynin indicated that he anticipated returning shortly to Moscow for consultations but did not expect to remain long as Ambassador after the new administration took over. (Johnson Library, National Security File, Memos to the President—Walt Rostow, Vol. 105)
316. Memorandum of Conversation
Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Memos to the President—Walt Rostow, Vol. 105. Secret; Exdis. Drafted by Thompson and approved in S/S on November 13. Rostow forwarded the memorandum to the President under a November 14 covering note. (Ibid.)
317. Information Memorandum From the President’s Special Assistant (Rostow) to President Johnson
Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Rostow Files, Chlodnick File. Top Secret; Sensitive; Literally Eyes Only.
318. Information Memorandum From the President’s Special Assistant (Rostow) to President Johnson
Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Rostow Files, Chlodnick File. Top Secret; Sensitive; Literally Eyes Only. The memorandum is marked with a “ps,” indicating that the President saw it.
319. Weekly Summary
Source: Central Intelligence Agency: Job 79–T00936A. Secret; No Foreign Dissem. The Weekly Summary was issued every Friday morning by CIA’s Office of Current Intelligence. Printed here are pages 11–12.
320. Memorandum From the President’s Special Assistant (Rostow) to President Johnson
Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Rostow Files, Strategic Missile Talks. Top Secret; Sensitive; Literally Eyes Only.
321. Memorandum of Conversation
Source: National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Central Files 1967–69, POL 17 USSR–US. Secret. Drafted by Bohlen and approved in S/S on November 25.
322. Memorandum From President Johnson to President-elect Nixon
Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Rostow Files, Nixon & Transition. Secret. The memorandum is marked by hand at the top of page 1, “original given to Robert D. Murphy, 11/26/68.” The text of the memorandum was excerpted from a memorandum dated November 25, 11 p.m., from Rostow to the President that contained “proposed talking points for Nixon.” (Ibid.)
323. Notes on Foreign Policy Meeting
Source: Johnson Library, Tom Johnson’s Notes of Meetings. No classification marking. Drafted by Tom Johnson. The meeting took place in the Cabinet Room. The time of the meeting is from the President’s Daily Diary. (Ibid.) A tape recording and 51-page transcript of the discussion is ibid., Recordings and Transcripts, Recordings of Meetings in the Cabinet Room.
324. Notes on Foreign Policy Meeting
Source: Johnson Library, Tom Johnson’s Notes of Meetings. No classification marking. Drafted by Tom Johnson. The meeting took place in the family dining room at the White House. The time of the meeting is from the President’s Daily Diary. (Ibid.)
325. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in the Soviet Union
Source: National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Central Files 1967–69, DEF 18 US–USSR. Top Secret; Nodis; Cherokee. Drafted and approved by Rusk. The telegram is marked, “For Code Room: This is a Cherokee message.” Cherokee was a codeword designation for a special telegraphic channel established for highly sensitive State Department messages. Rusk informed 22 Ambassadors of the new channel in circular telegram 267317, November 5. Rusk indicated that the channel would provide “an entirely private and secure means of communication” and would “make it un-necessary henceforth to use [text not declassified] channels in transmitting sensitive messages.” (Ibid.)
326. Telegram From the Embassy in the Soviet Union to the Department of State
Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Memos to the President—Walt W. Rostow, Vol. 109. Top Secret; Immediate; Nodis; Cherokee.
327. Telegram From the Embassy in the Soviet Union to the Department of State
Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Memos to the President, Walt Rostow, Vol. 109. Top Secret; Priority; Nodis; Cherokee.
328. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in the Soviet Union
Source: National Archives and Records Administration RG 59, Central Files 1967–69, POL US–USSR. Secret; Nodis; Cherokee.
329. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in the Soviet Union
Source: National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Central Files 1967–69, POL US–USSR. Secret; Immediate; Nodis; Cherokee.
330. Memorandum From the President’s Special Assistant (Rostow) to President Johnson
Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Rostow Files, Strategic Missile Talks. Top Secret; Literally Eyes Only.
332. Telegram From the President’s Special Assistant (Rostow) to President Johnson in Texas
Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Rostow Files, Strategic Missile Talks. Secret; Literally Eyes Only. The President flew to his Texas ranch December 13 and returned to Washington December 15.
333. Circular Telegram From the Department of State to Certain European Posts
Source: National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Central Files 1967–69, EDX US–USSR. Confidential; Immediate. Drafted by Edward W. Burgess and Leo J. Reddy (EUR); cleared by CU, USIA, and five offices in EUR; and approved by Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs George S. Springsteen. Sent to the Mission to NATO for Harlan Cleveland and to Moscow, Warsaw, Budapest, Prague, Bucharest, and Sofia and repeated to all NATO capitals.
334. Message From the Soviet Government to President-elect Nixon
Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Henry A. Kissinger Office Files, Administrative and Staff Files, Transition, Nov. 1968–Jan. 1969, Robert Ellsworth, Box 1. No classification marking. A typed note at the top of page 1 states: “Hand delivered 4:00 p.m. Palm Court Plaza Hotel New York City 12/18/68.” Presumably the message was handed to Robert Ellsworth by Yuri Tcherniakov. A handwritten version of the same message (the printed version is typed) is attached to a note that reads: “Ellsworth from Tcherniakoff (USSR).” (Ibid., Country Files-Europe-U.S.S.R., Box 66, Soviet Contacts (Sedov), 1968–69) Yuri Tcherniakov was Minister Counselor at the Soviet Embassy in Washington. Robert Ellsworth was a Nixon aide who, according to Dobrynin in In Confidence, pp. 186–187, informed Dobrynin at a private dinner on November 24 that President-elect Nixon had authorized him to maintain informal contacts with Dobrynin on problems of mutual interest to Nixon and the Soviet leaders. Dobrynin states further that at a second meeting, “some days later,” Ellsworth explained that Nixon “seriously objected” to President Johnson’s plans for a summit meeting; and “a week later,” Dobrynin passed to Ellsworth a Soviet reply stating that Nixon might not have been aware that it was President Johnson who wanted a meeting and that “‘it is up to the American side to form its attitude to such a summit. As to us, we do not adjust our views to momentary advantages.’” (Ibid., p. 187) Although Dobrynin’s excerpt from the Soviet message differs in wording from the message, he is presumably referring to the same one.
335. Memorandum From Henry Kissinger to President-elect Nixon
Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Henry A. Kissinger Office Files, Country Files-Europe-U.S.S.R., Box 66, Soviet Contacts (Sedov), 1968–69. Secret; Nodis.