Soviet Union, January 1981–January 1983
31. Memorandum of Conversation
Source: Department of State, Executive Secretariat, S/S–I Records: Haig and Shultz Memcons, Lot 87D327, SEC/Memcons, March 1981. Secret; Sensitive; Nodis. The meeting took place at the Department of State.
32. Action Memorandum From the Assistant Secretary of State-Designate for European Affairs (Eagleburger) and the Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs (Dyess) to Secretary of State Haig
Source: Library of Congress, Manuscript Division, Haig Papers, Day File, Box CL 31, March 20, 1981. Confidential. Drafted by Hurwitz (EUR/SOV); cleared by German and Barry. Sent through Stoessel. A stamped notation at the top of the memorandum indicates Haig saw it.
33. Minutes of the Principals of the Department of State Staff Meeting
Source: Library of Congress, Manuscript Division, Haig Papers, Day File, Box CL 31, March 23, 1981. Confidential.
34. Minutes of the Principals of the Department of State Staff Meeting
Source: Library of Congress, Manuscript Division, Haig Papers, Day File, Box CL 31, March 24, 1981. Confidential.
35. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in the Soviet Union
Source: Department of State, Central Foreign Policy File, [no film number]. Secret; Immediate; Nodis. Also sent Immediate to the U.S. Mission to NATO, Bonn, London, and Paris. Drafted by Hopper and Napper; cleared by Stoessel, Seitz, and Eagleburger; approved by Haig. A memorandum of conversation of Haig’s meeting with Dobrynin has not been found.
36. Memorandum for the Record
Source: Washington National Records Center, OSD Files: 1981–1987, FRC 330–90–0033, Box 3, Meetings, Conversations, Foreign Trips, Visits. Secret; Sensitive; Noforn. Typed at the top of the memorandum is: “SecDef Eyes Only File.”
38. Memorandum From Secretary of State Haig to President Reagan
Source: Reagan Library, Pipes Files, CHRON 04/06/1981–04/08/1981. Secret; Sensitive. In an unsigned and undated covering memorandum to Reagan, Allen wrote: “Dobrynin strikes me as more amenable than in his previous conversation with the Secretary of State. His idea of approaching arms control agreements in a limited, ‛functional’ manner (not necessarily involving subs and missile modifications) may be worth exploring.”
39. Message From President Reagan to Soviet General Secretary Brezhnev
Source: Reagan Library, Executive Secretariat, NSC: Head of State File, USSR: General Secretary Brezhnev (8190199, 8190200, 819201). No classification marking. A handwritten note at the top of the letter reads: “Sent April 3, 1981 EST.” According to Allen presided over a Molink transmission of the message that evening, and Moscow acknowledged receipt at 8:30 p.m. EST, or 4:30 a.m., April 4, Moscow time. (Ibid.) Allen briefed Reagan that morning, as the President was recovering in the George Washington University Hospital from the March 30 attempt on his life. (Reagan Library, President’s Daily Diary)
40. Message From Soviet General Secretary Brezhnev to President Reagan
Source: Reagan Library, Executive Secretariat, NSC: Head of State File, Box 38, USSR: General Secretary Brezhnev (8190199, 8190200, 819201). Top Secret. The original Russian version of the message was sent via Molink on April 7. (Ibid.)
41. Action Memorandum From the Assistant Secretary of State-Designate for European Affairs (Eagleburger), the Assistant Secretary of State for Intelligence and Research (Spiers), and the Director of Policy Planning (Wolfowitz) to Secretary of State Haig
Source: Department of State, Executive Secretariat, S/S–I Records, Lot 96D262, 1981 ES Sensitive April 11–19, 1979–1983. Secret; Sensitive. A stamped notation on the memorandum indicates Haig saw it.
42. Memorandum From the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Allen) to President Reagan
Source: Reagan Library, Meese Files, USSR—1981. Top Secret; Sensitive. Printed from an uninitialed copy.
43. Memorandum From Richard Pipes of the National Security Council Staff to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Allen)
Source: Reagan Library, Deal Files, Subject: [USSR] Soviet Union (Mar 24–Apr 20, 1981). Secret. Sent for information.
44. Memorandum of Conversation
Source: Department of State, Executive Secretariat S/S-I Records, Lot 96D262, Super Sensitive April 1981. Secret; Sensitive. Drafted by Bremer. The meeting was held in Haig’s office. In his memoir, Haig recalled being summoned to the White House at 6:50 p.m. and informed by Meese that Reagan wanted Haig to tell Dobrynin that evening that the grain embargo would be lifted on April 24. (Caveat, pp. 113–114)
45. Memorandum for the Record
Source: Washington National Records Center, OSD Files: Official Records of the Secretary of Defense, 1981–1987, FRC 330–90–0033, Box 3, Meetings, Conversations, Foreign Trips, Visits. Secret; Sensitive; Noforn. A typewritten note on the memorandum reads: “SecDef Eyes Only File.” The meeting was held at the Pentagon.
46. Letter From President Reagan to Soviet General Secretary Brezhnev
Source: Reagan Library, Executive Secretariat, NSC: Head of State File, USSR: General Secretary Brezhnev (8190202, 8190203). No classification marking. In his memoir, Reagan described the drafting of this letter on lifting the grain embargo the Carter administration imposed on Moscow after the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. “The State Department took my draft of the letter and rewrote it, diluting some of my personal thoughts with stiff diplomatic language that made it more impersonal than I’d wanted,” the President recalled. “I didn’t like what they’d done to it, so I revised their revisions and sent the letter largely as I had originally written it; on April 24, 1981, two letters went out to Brezhnev from me.” (An American Life, p. 271) In his diary entry for April 23, Reagan included a version of his handwritten letter that raised the plight of Anatoly Scharansky as well as the Pentacostal Christians living in the basement of the U.S. Embassy in Moscow. (Brinkley, ed., The Reagan Diaries, Vol. I, pp. 33–34) The drafts of Reagan’s handwritten letter to Brezhnev do not include reference to these matters. (Reagan Library, Executive Secretariat, NSC: Head of State File, USSR: General Secretary Brezhnev (8190202, 8190203)) A copy of the handwritten final version that went to Brezhnev is ibid. The copy printed here is the text of Reagan’s handwritten message to Brezhnev.
47. Letter From President Reagan to Soviet General Secretary Brezhnev
Source: Reagan Library, Executive Secretariat, NSC: Head of State File, USSR: General Secretary Brezhnev (8190202, 8190203). No classification marking.
49. Telegram From the Department of State to Secretary of State Haig’s Delegation
Source: Library of Congress, Manuscript Division, Haig Papers, Department of State, Box CL 38, Day File, May 5, 1981. Secret; Immediate; Nodis. The telegram repeated telegram 6096, sent from Moscow to Haig on May 4. Haig’s stamped initials indicate he saw the telegram. Haig wrote at the top of the telegram: “5/4/81 file.” On May 5, Haig traveled from Rome, where he had attended a NATO Ministerial meeting, to Brussels.
50. Memorandum From Richard Pipes of the National Security Council Staff to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Allen)
Source: Reagan Library, Meese Files, Box CFOA 160, USSR—1981 (General). Confidential. Sent for information. Telegram 12 from the FBI Director to the White House Situation Room, May 5, relayed Leebaert’s report on his meeting with Arbatov to the FBI. At the time of the Arbatov encounter, Leebaert was serving as managing editor of International Security. (Ibid.)
51. Memorandum From the Assistant Secretary of State-Designate for European Affairs (Eagleburger) to Secretary of State Haig
Source: Department of State, Executive Secretariat, S/S–I Records: Lawrence Eagleburger Files, Lot 84D204, USSR 1981. Secret; Sensitive. Not for the System. A stamped notation on the memorandum reads: “AMH.” Haig wrote in the upper right-hand corner: “Larry—see me.” Eagleburger lined through Haig’s note and wrote: “Done.”
52. Memorandum From Secretary of State Haig to President Reagan
Source: Reagan Library, Executive Secretariat, NSC: Country File, USSR (05/20/1981–05/20/1981). Secret. In telegram 6096 from Moscow, May 4, the Embassy reported on Matlock’s conversation with Korniyenko. (Department of State, Central Foreign Policy File, [no film number])
53. Memorandum From Secretary of State Haig to President Reagan
Source: Reagan Library, Matlock Files, Dissidents (2/23). Confidential. Allen sent the memorandum to Reagan under cover a May 14 memorandum, on which the President wrote: “Let us do all we can to help get her husband freed RR.” Allen conveyed this message in a memorandum to Haig. (Ibid.)
54. Memorandum From Secretary of State Haig to President Reagan
Source: Department of State, Executive Secretariat, S/S–I Records, Lot 96D262, Super Sensitive—May 1981. Secret; Sensitive.
55. Action Memorandum From the Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs (Eagleburger) to Secretary of State Haig
Source: Department of State, Executive Secretariat, S/S–I Records, Lot 96D262, Super Sensitive—May 1981. Secret; Sensitive; Eyes Only. Sent through Stoessel. A stamped notation on the memorandum indicates that Haig saw it.
56. Minutes of a National Security Council Meeting
Source: Reagan Library, Executive Secretariat, NSC: NSC Meeting File, 1981–1989, NSC 00009 05/22/1981. Top Secret; Sensitive. The meeting took place in the Cabinet Room.
57. Memorandum of a Telephone Conversation
Source: Department of State, Executive Secretariat, S/S–I Records: Walter Stoessel Files, Lot 82D307, Box 3, “P—Stoessel Classified Chron 1981 Jan–June.” Confidential. Drafted by Friedt; approved by Stoessel. Copies sent to Bremer, Eagleburger, and German.
58. Memorandum From Secretary of State Haig to President Reagan
Source: Department of State, Executive Secretariat, S/S–I Records: Lawrence Eagleburger Files, Lot 84D204, USSR 1981. Secret; Sensitive. Printed from an uninitialed copy.
59. Memorandum From Secretary of State Haig to President Reagan
Source: Department of State, Executive Secretariat, S/S–I Records: Lawrence Eagleburger Files, Lot 84D204, USSR 1981. Secret; Sensitive. Printed from an uninitialed copy. An undated report on Haig’s May 28 meeting with Dobrynin is in the Library of Congress, Manuscript Division, Haig Papers, Department of State, Day File, Box 41, May 28, 1981.
60. Memorandum From the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Allen) to President Reagan
Source: Reagan Library, Executive Secretariat, NSC: Head of State File, USSR: General Secretary Brezhnev (8190204, 8190205). Secret; Outside the System. Copied to Bush, Meese, Baker, and Deaver. An unknown hand wrote in the upper right-hand corner: “Returned w.o. Brezhnev ltr.—P is holding it. [illegible]”