Foreign Relations of the United States, 1969–1976, Volume XXIX, Eastern Europe; Eastern Mediterranean, 1969–1972

189. Memorandum of Conversation¹

New York, September 18, 1969, 4:50 p.m.

SUBJECT

• Presidentʼs Meeting with Romanian Foreign Minister Corneliu Manescu

PARTICIPANTS

• U.S.
  • The President
  • Secretary Rogers
  • Dr. Kissinger
  • Mr. Adolph Dubs, EUR
  • Mr. Peter Sebastian, Interpreter
• Romanian
  • Foreign Minister Corneliu Manescu
  • Ambassador Corneliu Bogdan
  • Mr. Sergiu Celac, Interpreter

Foreign Minister Manescu said he was grateful for the opportunity of meeting with the President. President Ceausescu had asked him to convey to the President best wishes and also wishes for good health and happiness. President Nixonʼs visit to Romania was still very fresh in the memory of the Romanian people. Romania continues to believe that the visit was very useful and that it contributed to a better understanding between the two countries. As the President knows, the Romanian people gave him a very warm welcome. This should be regarded as a token of the friendship between the two countries and the friendship of the Romanian people for the President personally.

President Nixon said that he has fresh and pleasant memories of his visit to Romania. He carries a special place in his heart for the Romanian people. Upon returning to the States, he was told by TV viewers of his welcome in Romania that many wished to go to Romania for a visit. The President recommends that they do. We are following up on the conversations with President Ceausescu, particularly in the fields of science and trade, as well as other fields.² Some matters will take time to implement but they are being followed up. The visit to Romania was worthwhile because, in the first instance, it provided an opportunity to meet and to know oneʼs opposite numbers, as well as the Romanian people. The visit will be doubly useful if it can be followed up with cooperation in new fields. We believe that the follow up to the Romanian visit will prove to be an important example of how nations in Eastern Europe can have good relations with the United States, without harming their relations with other countries. This is also a Romanian principle. Now is the time to test it. Achieving our goals through visits of this kind could mean a great step forward—as has been noted in the UN speech today³—to an open world and to open communications with different nations and peoples even though they have different economic and political systems.

Foreign Minister Manescu thanked the President for his remarks. Mr. Manescu said that from the very beginning both sides considered the Presidentʼs visit to be part of an honest effort to improve relations. Neither thought of directing the visit against others. Of course, comments of a different nature are not lacking.

President Nixon said that the whole world had speculated about the visit but that President Ceausescu and he knew what the visit was all about.

Secretary Rogers, noting that there were many rogues in the world, said that speculation was all the greater because the visit was an honest attempt to advance relations between the two countries.

Foreign Minister Manescu said that it often happens that truth arouses the most suspicion. He said that he had listened to the Presidentʼs speech today with great interest. Everybody had looked forward to it. In connection with the worldʼs problems, he would like to take the liberty to make two points. The United States should be open minded regarding the problems of the world today and seek to broaden opportunities for better relations with the Soviet Union. Romania hopes this will be achieved. However, such an improvement in U.S.-Soviet relations should not be achieved at the expense of smaller states.

President Nixon agreed. He said that we believe that any U.S.-Soviet détente, or whatever one wished to call it, should not take place at the expense of other nations. The United States wants good relations with the Soviet Union but also the best possible relations with other nations. As the Foreign Minister knows, this matter was discussed frankly between President Ceausescu and himself and he wished to reiterate his views today. The President said he had today in the UN stated for the first time as an American President that the United States would be glad to exchange views even with Communist China if that country changed its policy of self-isolation. We are prepared to talk with the Chinese in the same spirit that we talk with the Soviets. Some will say that this statement is directed against the Soviets. This is not true. Romania of course has the same policy. It is now the position of the United States Government that the search for good relations should proceed with all nations on the basis of reciprocity.

Foreign Minister Manescu said that he now looked forward with great interest to Gromykoʼs response tomorrow.⁴ With regard to China, bearing in mind the universality of the UN, and with regard to Viet Nam, the world expects from the United States, from the new Administration, and from the President proposals that are not only acceptable but, indeed, proposals which cannot be rejected.

President Nixon said that he and President Ceausescu had had a long and frank discussion on Viet Nam. We have one view, President Ceausescu another. The President said he wished to emphasize one point and that is that the United States over the past ten months had taken several important steps with regard to Viet Nam. The bombing of the North had been stopped. The decision had been announced to withdraw sixty thousand troops. The United States had further proposed internationally supervised elections in which all elements in South Viet Nam could participate, including the Viet Cong. Up to this point there has been no reaction or any little step whatsoever from the other side. A year ago people were saying that we should stop the bombing and that negotiations and peace would follow. Then they said that the United States should withdraw its forces and progress in the talks would be made. Then people said that the United States should make a positive offer and spell out its position. The United States had done all these things and nothing happened. Now the United States is being asked to withdraw all its forces and to impose a coalition government upon South Viet Nam without elections. We can disagree about what ought to happen in Viet Nam. We are not saying that we are altogether right and the other side altogether wrong. We believe, however, that we have gone as far as we can or should go. It is time for the other side to respond to our initiatives and to undertake meaningful negotiations toward a political settlement. We do not wish to ask the Romanian Government to become involved, although we recognize that it was very helpful in 1967 in connection with the negotiations. According to reports reaching him, said the President, the other side apparently believes that it can continue the talks in Paris without being responsive to United Statesʼ initiatives. The other side also seems to believe that the talks can drag on and that the war will continue and that the United States will tire of the struggle. The other side appears to think that because of political weakness in the United States, the U.S. will make a political settlement which will give the other side what it wants, that is, the control of South Viet Nam.

The President said he could not emphasize one point too strongly. Such an assessment would constitute a grave misjudgment of his character. The President said he wants peace. He had insisted on every reasonable concession to move the negotiations toward peace. But if after all this we only get the back of the hand, a posture of talk and fight, that is a situation we cannot tolerate indefinitely. This does not mean that the United States will make threats or issue ultimatums. The President did not believe in them. But we have reached a point where the other side should respond to initiatives that the United States has undertaken in good faith. We realize that our views may differ from those held by the Romanian Government, but we also know that the Romanians wish us to be honest so that our actions can be accurately appraised.

Foreign Minister Manescu said that the President should have no doubts about that. The President had had an opportunity to talk to President Ceausescu and therefore understands that there are differences of opinion on this issue. The President should know that Viet Nam is the only problem between the two countries. Apart from this there are no outstanding issues.

The President said that this was right and if this problem could be removed the way could be opened to move forward on such matters as MFN, export controls, and other issues.

Foreign Minister Manescu expressed his emphatic agreement. He added President Ceausescu regarded the cessation of bombing, the talks in Paris and the withdrawal of United States troops as important steps towards world peace. The President should know that Romania had not discussed Americaʼs views “in only one direction.” As is probably known, the Romanians conveyed these views to the Vietnamese, and this was not an easy job.

President Nixon said he appreciated this fact. He noted that we are now at a very critical juncture. The President said he believed that President Ceausescu, who has good relations with all parties, could be helpful in an effort to break the bottleneck.

Foreign Minister Manescu said he would convey the Presidentʼs views to President Ceausescu. The Foreign Minister said he hoped that the United States would do something which could not be rejected by the other side.

The President replied that the Romanians should talk to the other side and tell them to do something that could not be rejected by the United States. The United States has now taken significant steps but has received nothing in return.

The President then referred to the coming Davis Cup Tennis matches between Romania and the United States. He congratulated the Minister on Romaniaʼs victory over the British team and noted that he was receiving the Davis Cup team on Monday at 10:30 and would be delighted if the Foreign Minister could attend if he happened to be in Washington.

Foreign Minister Manescu again thanked the President for the time given to him.

1. Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Files 1967–69, POL ROM–US. Secret; Nodis. Drafted by Dubs. A notation on the memorandum indicates Kissinger approved it on October 6. The meeting took place at the Waldorf Towers. Both the President and Manescu were participating in the UN General Assembly meeting.
2. See Documents 186 and 188.
3. For text of the Presidentʼs address, see Public Papers: Nixon, 1969, pp. 724–731.
4. For text, see UN doc. A/PV.1756.