Foreign Relations of the United States, 1964–1968, Volume XIV, Soviet Union

85. Message From President Johnson to the Soviet Government¹

Washington, January 14, 1965.

Now that Foreign Minister Gromyko and Secretary Rusk have had a series of discussions of our mutual problems, I wish to reply to the message from your Government of November 3, 1964,² which was transmitted through Ambassador Dobrynin. I was particularly pleased to have the expression of the interest of your Government in first restraining and limiting the arms race, and then decisively reversing it. I think that we can take some satisfaction in the fact that both our Governments have been able, without formal agreement, to reduce our military budgets by amounts which may be small in relation to our total arms expenditure but are nevertheless of some significance in that we have both succeeded in putting an end to the annual increases in this heavy burden. I am able to tell you now that our budget for the fiscal year 1965 will call for expenditures in our Department of Defense of $47.9 billion, which is more than $2 billion less than was requested in my budget submitted to the Congress in January 1964.

As I have already touched upon disarmament questions in my New Year’s message to you,³ I will not discuss them further at this time, other than to say that I continue to believe deeply that there would be advantage to us all in progress toward the specific arrangements I have proposed. In particular, we are convinced that the interest of our two peoples, and indeed of all mankind, would be advanced by steps beyond the limited test ban treaty to prevent the dissemination of nuclear weapons. I am able to confirm to you once again that it is this fundamental policy that underlies all our actions in this field, including those about which your Government has expressed concern, in the area of the nuclear defense of the members of the North Atlantic Alliance. I remain convinced that if we work together with the common purpose of opposing the proliferation of nuclear weapons, we should be able to eliminate misunderstandings between us and serve our common interests.

I fully share your view that agreements reached between our Governments should be honestly observed by both sides, and I can assure you of our good faith on this score. Many of the problems which today plague the world, and which in one way or another involve the Soviet Union and the United States, are highly complex, both in their origins and in their ramifications. I am hopeful, however, that with good will on both sides, a steady and consistent effort to resolve them can succeed. We shall, of course, have to proceed step by step, but every success will, in my opinion, make the remaining problems easier to resolve. You may be sure that I am determined to persevere on this path.

I am concerned that the United Nations has not yet been able to resolve the problem related to Article 19 of the Charter. I can assure you that our position on this question is one based on both principle and a consideration of the practical consequences of a failure to uphold the Charter as we see it. Our position is not in any sense directed against the Soviet Union, and on the contrary, I regret that an issue of this seriousness has arisen and particularly that we are obliged to deal with it so soon after the constitution of new governments in both of our countries. In our handling of the matter in New York, we are seeking a solution which would not prejudice either your or our positions of principle.

I am hopeful that we can continue to make progress in our strictly bilateral relations. In this field, I intend to press forward in an effort to develop our trade relations. There are many difficulties, but if the international political atmosphere remains calm, I believe there is a good prospect of improvement. We consider that this field is important both because of the practical advantages of peaceful commerce and because of the high value of active, peaceful, and straightforward relations between the citizens of our two countries. For these same reasons I shall continue to give my strong support to the increase of cultural and technical exchanges between our peoples. And in this connection I have recently had most interesting talks with my Science Advisor, Dr. Hornig, and those who accompanied him on his important visit to the Soviet Union. I have also listened with great interest to the encouraging reports of the distinguished group of American businessmen which had the advantage of a meeting with you and many of your associates at the end of last year.

In this same spirit I have expressed my hope for a visit from your side to the United States. I believe that such a visit would allow us to have serious and constructive discussions together. It would also allow us a chance to show you the real dedication to freedom and peace of the American people, who share with the people of the Soviet Union such great responsibilities for the future of mankind. If this hope should meet with a positive response from the Soviet Government, it would be a great satisfaction to propose definite times and to offer a more formal invitation.⁴

1. Source: National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Presidential Correspondence: Lot 77 D 163. Top Secret; Sensitive. The original of the message was handed to Dobrynin by Thompson at 4 p.m. on January 14. A memorandum of their conversation at that time is ibid. The draft approved by the President on January 12 included the salutation, “Dear Mr. Chairman,” but the source text does not. (Johnson Library, National Security File, Head of State Correspondence, Pen Pal Correspondence, Kosygin) Thompson indicated to Bundy in a January 14 memorandum that he omitted the salutation in the retyped version passed to Dobrynin; Thompson later referred to the message as “the President’s message to the Soviet Government” (see Document 89). Dobrynin discusses the message in his memoirs, In Confidence, emphasizing that Johnson addressed his suggestion of a visit broadly to the Soviet leadership and not to Brezhnev or Kosygin personally (pp. 133–134).
2. Document 67.
3. For text of this message, December 30, 1964, see Department of State Bulletin, January 18, 1965, pp. 74–75.
4. Printed from an unsigned copy.