Office of the Historian

179. Memorandum of Conversation1

Washington, September 27, 1966, 11 a.m.

SUBJECT

  • Discussion of Communiqué

PARTICIPANTS

  • Chancellor Ludwig Erhard
  • President Lyndon B. Johnson
  • Walt W. Rostow (intermittently)
  • Hermann Kuesterer (German Interpreter)
  • Harry Obst (American Interpreter)

The President presented to the Chancellor a draft proposing the establishment of rapid telecommunications (sort of “hot line”) between [Page 437] Washington and Bonn.2 The Chancellor agreed to the draft and both initialed it.

The President then discussed with the Chancellor the communiqué to be issued.3 On most points there was agreement. The Chancellor first objected to the inclusion of reference to certain initiatives of the Italian government in the field of technical cooperation on space and related matters.

The President called in Walt W. Rostow who convinced the Chancellor that inclusion of this reference was no longer avoidable as the Chancellor’s Cabinet Ministers had already agreed to it and the Italian government had been informed. The Chancellor then agreed to the inclusion.

Another item the Chancellor objected to was the inclusion of the term “cold war”, used with reference to relations with Eastern Europe. The Communist camp was always employing the term “cold war” in their tirades against the FRG and using the two words (cold war-West Germany) in one breath constantly. After consulting with Mr. Rostow, all sides then agreed to a new version of this paragraph.

The Chancellor told the President briefly about the talks held earlier that morning with Secretary Rusk and Governor Herter on the Kennedy Round.4 He assured the President that his views were similar to those of the US and he would do everything possible to further the success of the Kennedy Round.

  1. Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Country File, Germany, vol. 11. Confidential. Drafted by Obst and approved by Bromley Smith of the White House on December 2. The meeting was held at the White House. The source text is marked “Part 1 of 3.” Part 2, dealing with educational exchanges, is not printed. Part 3 is Document 180.↩
  2. In a 9:40 a.m., September 27 memorandum to the President, Rostow reported that “Secretary Rusk believes that it would be constructive for you to raise … the setting up to Bonn of a direct line for quick communication.” (Johnson Library, Bator Papers, Erhard Visit September 1966)↩
  3. For text, see American Foreign Policy: Current Documents, 1966, pp. 403–406.↩
  4. Memoranda of conversation of their discussion are in Department of State, Conference Files: Lot 67 D 587, vol. 12.↩