81. Editorial Note
At 1 p.m. on December 19, 1964, Secretary of State Rusk and Soviet Foreign Minister Gromyko met at Rusk’s suite in the Waldorf Astoria in New York City for luncheon and discussion. Also present were Ambassadors Thompson and Stevenson, Soviet Deputy Foreign Minister Semenov, and Soviet Ambassador Dobrynin. Topics included the just-concluded NATO ministerial meeting in Paris, Vietnam, disarmament, Israeli-Arab relations, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, and a possible new isthmus canal. Memoranda of conversation are in the National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Conference Files: Lot 66 D 110.
Concerning Vietnam, Gromyko stressed that “a continuation of the tense situation in the area and the actions the U.S. seemed to plan with respect to North Vietnam would complicate the situation and create great danger. The Soviet Union believed that withdrawal of U.S. troops from South Vietnam would be in the interest of South East Asia and of the world at large, as well as in the interest of U.S.-Soviet relations. The President had expressed a desire to improve U.S.-Soviet relations. It would be a wise move on the part of the U.S. if it were to decide to withdraw its troops from South Vietnam.”