86. Telegram From the Embassy in the Soviet Union to the Department of State 1
2050. I began meeting with Gromyko this afternoon by reminding that Secretary expected to take holiday after inauguration and hoped Gromyko would facilitate his plans by settling UN financial crisis and keeping lid on generally. Gromyko rejoined that this depended on US and said he assumed I had returned from Washington with lots of news.
I reported briefly on the results my conversations with regard to prospects early ratification consular convention and, as President had informed Gromyko,2 coordinated conclusion Civil Air Agreement. I felt compelled to inform Gromyko of concern which had been expressed to me both by President and Secretary over the recent sharp tone in Soviet press, particularly with regard to State of Union message.
Gromyko regretted that US press has seen fit to report almost exclusively on the critical aspects of reaction in Soviet press to President’s message and to say almost nothing about positive Soviet treatment. Gromyko wished me to know that the Soviet Govt has reacted favorably to the President’s remarks with regard to desirability of improving bilateral relations and readiness establish contacts in summit level. He suggested this would probably be reflected still more in press in future. Naturally the Soviet Govt had noted that the message reflected no change in US policy toward certain areas of the world—e.g. south-east Asia—but Gromyko had already fully expounded the Soviet [Page 213] Govt’s views on these aspects of the message and he saw no need to repeat them at this meeting. He wished note absence in State of Union address of any reference to disarmament and desirability of ending arms race.
I pointed out to Gromyko that obviously time and broad scope of State of Union message limited what President could say and in any case President planned to deal with subject of disarmament in separate message being delivered today to Congress.3 I handed him advance copy of text of message noting in particular President’s request that Congress sanction a four year extension of ACDA. I told Gromyko I had particular interest in his reaction to the President’s proposal for TV exchange since I hoped soon to pay a courtesy call on Mesyatsev (TV and Radio State Committee Chairman) and had considered raising subject with him. Gromyko said naturally Sov Govt had noted proposal, considered that it deserved close attention, and was now giving it appropriate consideration. He did not rule out possibility of reaching some understanding on mode its implementation and hoped be in position give me more concrete expression Sov Govt’s position which might then be examined in detail in other channels.
As I left Gromyko asked me relay his best wishes to Secretary for a good holiday and said that so far as Sovs were concerned nothing would occur which would disturb his rest. He invited me to call on him at any time when ready for further discussion various matters touched on in Washington and New York talks.4
- Source: National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Central Files 1964–66, POL US–USSR. Secret; Immediate; Exdis. According to another copy, this telegram was drafted by Toon and initialed by Kohler. (Department of State, Kohler Files: Lot 71 D 460, Exdis Cables)↩
- See Document 78.↩
- For text of the letter to Congress, see Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: Lyndon B. Johnson, 1965, Book I, pp. 51–52.↩
- In addition to the subjects raised in this telegram, Kohler and Gromyko also discussed the Embassy’s request for a leased line and the site for a new Soviet Embassy in Washington (telegram 2051 from Moscow, January 15; Johnson Library, National Security File, Country File, USSR, Vol. VII) and UN Charter Article 19 (telegram 2052 from Moscow, January 15; scheduled for publication in Foreign Relations, 1964–1968, volume XXXIII.↩