155. Note From the Government of the United States to the Government of the People’s Republic of China, Washington, undated1 2
9/13/72
SOVIET NOTE
We would like to inform you confidentially about tho subject we will be introducing as our main political subject at the forthcoming 27th session of the UN General Assembly. We are doing this for the first time—and this in itself is indicative of the advance made in relations between the USSR and the USA since last May’s meeting in Moscow. We are naming this item “On the non-use of force in international relations and on the prohibition for all time of the use of nuclear weapons”.
In our view, the discussion of this item at the Assembly session will be useful both for the broad interests of peace and in terms of Soviet-American relations per se. Our proposal envisages that the affirmation of the principle of the non-use of force in international relations must inseparably include also the prohibition for all time of the use of nuclear weapons. The fusing of those two elements constitutes the very core and the principal idea of our proposal.
The idea of the non-use of force, of reducing the risk of nuclear war is contained in joint Soviet-American documents, particularly in the “Basic Principle’s of Mutual Relations between the USSR and the USA”. We believe it would now be useful to bring that idea into the sphere of the United Nations. In the past the General Assembly has repeatedly [Page 2] addressed itself to the question of the non-use of force in international relations. The UN also dealt separately with the subject of prohibiting the use of nuclear weapons. But it is quite evident that renunciation of the use of force must cover the prohibition of all types of weapons, both conventional and nuclear. Such an approach is prompted by the entire course of development of post-war international relations. Our proposal to merge the prohibition of the use of nuclear and of conventional weapons into a single whole corresponds to the principle of the equal security of states and the inadmissibility of military advantages. This approach, we believe, is in line with the interests of all peoples, including the Soviet and American peoples.
In advancing our proposal, we are taking into account, among other things, the following aspect which is very important for the USSR and the USA. We are completing our discussion of the delicate issue of the non-use of nuclear weapons between our countries. If the forthcoming General Assembly adopts a resolution along the lines we intend to propose, that will create a good political background for our joint action. In other words, it will correspond to the task of preparing public opinion for this action, to which President Nixon attaches significance.
As for the resolution itself, we see it as short but substantial and definite. Its substance would be that the General Assembly would solemnly declare on behalf of the member states of the UN, in conformity with the UN Charter, [Page 3] their renunciation of the use or threat of force in internationz relations and the prohibition for all time of the use of nuclear weapons. Furthermore, the resolution should include a recommendation to the Security Council to take a decision, as soon as possible, which would make the aforesaid statement by the General Assembly binding in accordance with Article 25 of the UN Charter. Let me recall that under Article 25 members of the UN agree to accept and carry out the decisions of the Security Council.
It goes without saying that the adoption of such a decision by the UN will in no way imply the renunciation of the right to individual or collective self-defence in case of aggression provided for in the UN Charter.
We would like to count on the support of our proposal by the United States and hope that the delegations of our two countries to the General Assembly session will act in cooperation so that the draft resolution is supported by the largest possible number of states.
- Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 850, President’s File-China Trip, China Exchanges, June 25, 1972-Oct 17, 1972. No classification marking. Kissinger furnished the note to Huang during a September 19 meeting, at which Rodman and Shih Yen-hua were also present. The meeting’s memorandum of conversation is printed as Document 253, Foreign Relations, 1969–1976, volume XVII. The texts of additional notes are published as Documents 156, 157 and 158.↩
- The message, entitled “Prevention of Nuclear War,” specified that any discussion of nuclear weapons must take several factors into account.↩