“Bureaucratic Steamroller,” January 1969–November 1970
1. Memorandum of Conversation
Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 725, Country Files, Europe, USSR–Memcon’s, Dobrynin/Richardson, April 1969. Confidential. Part I of II. Drafted by Dubs. The meeting was held in the Under Secretary’s office. The day before, Dobrynin initially raised the issue of a European security conference in a meeting with Kissinger at 3:30 p.m. Kissinger wrote in a memorandum to the President on April 3: “Dobrynin began the conversation by saying that he had been instructed by the highest level of the politburo to give me an advance indication of a note that was going to be presented at the State Department tomorrow morning. This note in effect presents the Budapest Declaration of the Warsaw Pact nations, and asks for a European Security Conference. (I am sending you a separate memorandum on this.) Dobrynin asked me for my views. I told him a European Security Conference which excluded the United States would meet with strong opposition. Dobrynin said that Moscow has no intention of prescribing the membership; if one of our allies proposed United States participation, Moscow would agree. (This represents a major change in Soviet policy.)”
The full text of the memorandum is in Foreign Relations, 1969–1976, volume XII, Document 32. For Kissinger’s memorandum to the President, see Document 2.
2. Memorandum From the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger) to President Nixon
Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 392, Subject Files, Soviet Affairs. Secret. Sent for information.
3. Memorandum From the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger) to President Nixon
Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 256, Agency Files, NATO, Vol. IV. Secret. Sent for action.
4. Memorandum of Conversation
Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 682, Country Files, Europe, Germany, Vol. III. Secret. The meeting was held in Kissinger’s office.
5. Memorandum From Helmut Sonnenfeldt of the National Security Council Staff to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger)
Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 257, Agency Files, NATO, Vol. VI. Secret. Sent for action.
6. Memorandum From Helmut Sonnenfeldt of the National Security Council Staff to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger)
Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 337, Subject Files, HAK/Richardson Meetings, May–December 1969. Secret. Sent for information. Tabs A–E are attached but not printed.
9. Memorandum From Helmut Sonnenfeldt of the National Security Council Staff to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger)
Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 257, Agency Files, NATO, Vol. VI. Secret. Sent for information. A note on the first page reads: “HAK has seen, Nov 20, 1969.”
10. Memorandum From Secretary of State Rogers to President Nixon
Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 683, Country Files, Europe, Germany, Vol. IV. Secret. On November 5, Sonnenfeldt forwarded Rogers’s memorandum to Kissinger. In a covering memorandum he wrote that it “raises again the major problem of holding State back from over-commitment to the idea of such a conference simply in order to appear to respond positively to the Warsaw Pact overtures, so that we ‘demonstrate to public opinion’ our willingness to negotiate European security issues constructively with the Soviets.” (Ibid.)
11. Telegram From the Department of State to the Mission to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization
Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 711, Country Files, Europe, USSR, Vol. VI. Confidential; Immediate. Also sent to Moscow and repeated to Bucharest, Budapest, Prague, Sofia, and Warsaw. Drafted by Thompson R. Buchanan (EUR/SOV); approved by Dubs, McGuire, Herbert S. Okun (S), Springsteen, and Melvyn Levitsky (S/S). Sonnenfeldt forwarded a copy of the telegram to Kissinger with a covering memorandum on December 23. (Ibid.)
12. National Security Study Memorandum 83
Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Institutional Files (H-Files), Box H–166, NSSM 83, 3 of 4. Secret. Copies were sent to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Director of Central Intelligence. Sonnenfeldt, who drafted the NSSM, wrote in the covering memorandum to Haig: “At Henry’s request, I have redone the memorandum to Secretary Rogers on European Security issues as a NSSM.” Sonnenfeldt noted Kissinger was “very anxious to have this go out today.” Haig wrote in the margin, “So am I!!” At the bottom of the covering memorandum, Kissinger wrote, “Send out signed NSSM.”
13. Memorandum From the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger) to President Nixon
Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 258, Agency Files, NATO, Vol. VII. Secret. Sent for action.
14. Memorandum From the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger) to President Nixon
Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 281, Agency Files, Dept of State, Vol. V. Secret. Sent for action. A notation on the first page reads: “The President has seen.” In a handwritten comment at the top of the memorandum, Kissinger wrote on December 29, “I don’t have to get Pres. to approve notes to Rogers.”
16. Memorandum of Conversation
Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 711, Country Files, Europe, USSR, Vol. VI. Secret; Exdis. Part II of V. Drafted by Bowden, concurred in by Leonard, and approved by Morton Abramowitz (U) on December 31. The meeting was held in the Under Secretary’s office. At the top of the first page is a handwritten notation, “Sonnenfeldt—FYI.”
17. Memorandum From Helmut Sonnenfeldt of the National Security Council Staff to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger)
Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 667, Country Files, Europe, European Security Issues (U.S. and Soviet Diplomacy). Secret; Nodis. Sent for information. Sent under a covering memorandum from Haig to Kissinger on January 9.
19. Minutes of a National Security Council Meeting
Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Institutional Files (H-Files), Box H–110, NSC Meeting Minutes, NSC Minutes, Originals, 1970. Secret. The full text of the minutes of the meeting is scheduled for publication Foreign Relations, 1969–1976, volume XLI, Western Europe; NATO, 1969–1972. On January 27, Kissinger discussed the meeting in a telephone conversation with Richardson: “We are having an NSC meeting tomorrow with Wilson attending. We will talk about some European issues, and I will begin with 5 or 10 minutes of outline of the issues. The President wanted to call the Secretary [Rogers] now, but I know he can’t be reached. Could he talk about the European Security Conference for 5–10 minutes? Do you think that can be done?” Richardson replied, “I think so.” (National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, Henry A. Kissinger Telephone Transcripts (Telcons), Box 4, Chronological File)
20. Memorandum From Helmut Sonnenfeldt of the National Security Council Staff to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger)
Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Institutional Files (H-Files), Box H–166, National Security Study Memoranda, NSSM 83, 1 of 4. Secret. Sent for action.
21. National Security Study Memorandum 92
Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 259, Agency Files, NATO, Vol. VIII. Secret. Copies were sent to the Attorney General and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
22. Memorandum From the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger) to President Nixon
Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Institutional Files (H-Files), Box H–043, SRG Meetings, Issues of European Security, 4/16/70. Secret. Sent for action. Sonnenfeldt forwarded a draft of the memorandum to Kissinger on April 16. (Ibid.)
23. Memorandum From Helmut Sonnenfeldt of the National Security Council Staff to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger)
Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 259, Agency Files, NATO, Vol. VIII. Secret. Sent for action.
25. Backchannel Message From the Ambassador to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (Ellsworth) to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger)
Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 259, Agency Files, NATO, Vol. VIII. Secret; Eyes Only.
26. Memorandum of Conversation
Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Files 1970–73, POL US–USSR. Secret; Exdis. Drafted by Richardson on June 10. The conversation took place during lunch at the Soviet Embassy. On June 16, Hillenbrand forwarded a copy to Ellsworth. In an attached letter, Hillenbrand wrote: “Our telegraphic summary of that conversation was somewhat abridged because—as you will see from the full memcon enclosed—the Under Secretary’s remarks, while illustrative in nature, do break new ground and go somewhat beyond what has thus far been agreed among the Allies. I am not sure how you would wish to handle those elements of the Richardson–Dobrynin exchange which we left out of the telegraphic summary. The best course might be to wait and see whether the Soviets play them back to the Allies. If they do, you could then confirm, if appropriate, that the ideas in question were put forward on an illustrative basis but not as the formal position of the US government.” (Ibid., DEF 6 NATO)
27. Memorandum of Conversation
Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 489, President’s Trip Files, Dobrynin/Kissinger, 1970, Part 2, Vol. I. Top Secret; Sensitive; Nodis. The conversation took place on the Presidential yacht Sequoia. For the full text of the memorandum, see Foreign Relations, 1969–1976, volume XII, Soviet Union, January 1969–October 1970, Document 168.
29. Memorandum From the Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs (Nutter) to Secretary of Defense Laird
Source: Ford Library, Laird Papers, Box 2, NATO, Vol. IV. Secret.
30. Memorandum From Secretary of State Rogers to President Nixon
Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Files 1970–73, DEF 4 Warsaw Pact. Secret. Drafted by Streator. A notation at the top of the first page reads: “Signed by the Secy on the plane travelling to San Francisco.”