274. Memorandum of Conversation1
PARTICIPANTS
- NATO Secretary General Joseph Luns
- NATO Assistant Secretary General Jorg Kastl
- President Gerald R. Ford
- Dr. Henry A. Kissinger, Secretary of State and Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs
- Amb. Donald Rumsfeld, Assistant to the President
- Amb. David Bruce, Permanent Representative to NATO
- Lt. General Brent Scowcroft, Deputy Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs
[Omitted here is discussion of matters other than the European security conference or MBFR.]
President: Do you have any thoughts on MBFR?
Luns: The Soviet Union has proposed equal reductions,2 which is not reasonable.
[Page 807]The tactical nuclear force issue3 is linked. Several of us are nervous that you will weaken the shield. Your efforts seem to be strategic weapons, but the problem in NATO is tactical.
I don’t think the Soviet Union will plan a war in NATO. The outcome is too uncertain. I think the Soviet Union will wait to see the outcome of SALT and CSCE. I think we are in the position that CSCE will be a summit.
Kissinger: Thanks to the Europeans.
Luns: We must think about the possible euphoria and guard against it.
President: How about a Western Summit beforehand?
Luns: I think it is a good idea. The French were cool to the idea.
Kissinger: It is ridiculous to think the East and West can meet and [as?] consumer and producer, but not the NATO allies.
On the nuclear package, we won’t press it as our solution. It is up to the Alliance whether it is to be presented to the Soviet Union.
[Omitted here is discussion of matters other than the European security conference or MBFR.]
- Source: Ford Library, National Security Adviser, Memoranda of Conversation, Box 9. Secret; Nodis. The meeting took place in the Oval Office at the White House.↩
- See footnote 5, Document 345.↩
- See Document 357.↩