295. Editorial Note
On June 4, 1975, Soviet Ambassador Dobrynin telephoned Secretary of State Kissinger to discuss the European security conference. According to the memorandum of their phone conversation, Kissinger asked, “Do you want to finish it up in Geneva or not? D[obrynin]: What in Geneva? K[issinger]: The Security Conference. D: I don’t understand. K: I see no obstacles to clearing it. D: I would like to discuss this with you. K: O.K. Let us discuss it. You come by tomorrow, or I will call you no later than tomorrow, and you can come the day after.” (Department of State, Electronic Reading Room, Kissinger Transcripts of Telephone Conversations, http://foia.state.gov/documents/kissinger/0000BFFE.pdf)
In preparation for his meeting with Dobrynin, Kissinger held several telephone conversations with Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs Hartman on June 5. During a conversation at 4:24 p.m., Kissinger asked Hartman, “What is Dobrynin likely to raise about the Security Conference?” Hartman replied: “I think he will probably say that they have begun to move in Geneva and that they need our help. They are moving there, we have gotten reports on it. I would stress that speed is essential. The Finns say they need four weeks for translations and things like that.” (Ibid., http://foia.state.gov/documents/kissinger/0000C009.pdf) At 4:45 p.m., Kissinger spoke with Hartman about confidence-building measures and a final summit conference for CSCE. A transcript of their telephone conversation reads: “K[issinger]: If the Soviets went to 250 kilometers, do you think we could get the allies to accept the 30,000? H[artman]: I think so. K: And what was the other? 18 days? H: I think it is the depth that concerns them. K: I wanted to make sure. I was right. Could we sell 250? H: I think so. K: I know they are insisting on 300, but could we make it 300? H: We would have a selling job. K: We would? Could we in good conscience get behind it? H: Yes. K: O.K. What is their view of the date? The week of the 21st or the 28th? H: The Finns say they need four weeks. If we could finish by the 20th of June that would give them until July. They need the flexibility for translation and such. K: The 20th of June. O.K. Good. H: They really have made a lot of concessions. H: Good, thank you.” (Ibid., http://foia.state.gov/documents/kissinger/0000C00B.pdf) At 4:50 p.m., Kissinger spoke with Hartman again. A transcript of their telephone conversation reads: “K: Can I agree with Dobrynin that the confidence building measures are the only ones remaining? H: Right. There are still other issues like the desire for the Mediterranean [Declaration?], but that is not between us and the Soviet Union. K: Suppose the Soviet Union agrees to 250 kilometers, could we take a common stand with them? Then we could work together to get the other measures developed. It is the only issue [Page 860] outstanding between them and us. H: Right. The French are still trying to negotiate the quadripartite, but that is not between them and us. K: Good, and then their delegate and ours can work together on the translation. H: And also on calming down the other high flown propositions. K: Then our Ambassador and theirs will work together to get the thing finished if we can agree on the kilometers. H: Right. K: O.K. Thank you.” (Ibid., http://foia.state.gov/documents/kissinger/0000C00D.pdf)
No memorandum of conversation of Kissinger’s meeting with Dobrynin on June 5 has been found. Kissinger reported on the meeting in a conversation with President Ford on the morning of June 6: “Dobrynin said they would make the remaining concessions on CSCE. They will give on Basket I and on the depth of CBM’s.” Kissinger later added: “We can probably plan on CSCE the week of 21 July. I think you should not go to Berlin—but you could visit the troops.” (Ford Library, National Security Adviser, Memcons, Box 12) Kissinger also discussed his meeting with Dobrynin in a telephone conversation with Hartman at 6:35 p.m. on June 6. The transcript of their telephone conversation reads as follows: “K: The Russians are willing to accept the 250 kilometers if we assure them about the other two parameters. H: I think we should go to work on it. The British, French, and Germans will buy it. K: We should say we will support them if they are willing to do it. We should assure them of our support. H: The major countries will also join us. K: Right. H: Do you want me to get the message to them? K: Well, no. I will call them. H: Alright.” (Department of State, Electronic Reading Room, Kissinger Transcripts of Telephone Conversations, http://foia. state.gov/documents/kissinger/0000C019.pdf)