Directive Sent to Cde. V.V. Kuznetsov, Soviet Delegation, New York

Per Point 37, Prot. No. 84^[1]

Secret

New York

Soviet Delegation Cde. V.V. Kuznetsov

You can give approval on the introduction of the following refinements to the draft of the Treaty on Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons:

1. To include the following new point in the preamble of the Treaty:

“Recalling that, in accordance with the Charter of the Organizations of United Nations, States must refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any State, or in any other manner inconsistent with the Purposes of the United Nations, and that the establishment and maintenance of international peace and security are to be promoted with the least diversion of the world’s human and economic resources for armaments.”

2. T set forth the ninth point of the preamble as follows:

“Declaring their intention to achieve at the earliest possible date the cessation of the nuclear arms race and take effective measures in the direction of nuclear disarmament.”

3. To set forth Point 2 of Article IV in the following formulation:

“All Parties to the Treaty are to undertake measures enabling the most complete exchange of equipment, materials, scientific and technical information on the use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes and to have the right to participate in such an exchange. Parties to the Treaty who are in the position to do so will also cooperate in the matter of assisting, either individually or jointly with other states or international organizations, the further development of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, especially in the territories of non-nuclear weapons States Party to the Treaty, with due consideration for the needs of developing regions of the world.”

4. To formulate Point 3 of Article 9 in the following manner:

“This treaty will enter into force after its ratification by the Government-Depositaries and 40 other States signatory to this Treaty and the deposit of their instruments of ratification.

5. To set forth Article 5 as follows:

“Each of the Parties to the Treaty are obliged to undertake appropriate measures with the goal of ensuring that, in accordance with this treaty, under appropriate international observation and through appropriate international procedures, potential benefits from any peaceful application of nuclear explosions will be accessible to non-nuclear weapons States Party to this Treaty on a non-discriminatory basis and that the cost of the explosive devices used will be as low as possible for such participants and not include expenses for their research and improvement. Non-nuclear weapons States Party to this Treaty shall be able to receive such benefits in accordance with a special international agreement or agreements through an appropriate international organ, in which states not possessing nuclear weapons will present in a proper manner. Negotiations on this issue will begin as soon as possible after entry into force of this Treaty. Non-nuclear weapons States Party to this Treaty so desiring may also receive benefits in accordance with bilateral agreements.”

If the Americans should insist on the inexpedience of a directive that negotiations begin only after entry into force of the treaty, you can propose that the corresponding provisions of Article V be formulated as follows: “Negotiations on this issue will begin as soon as possible after opening this treaty for signature. [“] This formulation is based on Yugoslavia’s correction for this article. In the case of objections against this formulation, you should not insist.

6. To proceed on the premise that if non-nuclear countries are going to continue to insist on the introduction of changes to Article VI of the draft treaty, then you can move towards including some refinements in the article which do not change its substance. In this case, propose to the Americans that Article VI be formulated in this matter:

“Every Party to this Treaty is obliged in the spirit of good will to conduct negotiations on effective measures to halt the nuclear arms race in the near future and to nuclear disarmament, including the halt of the production and improvement of nuclear weapons, eliminating all its existing reserves and removal of nuclear weapons and delivery systems from their national arsenals, as well as a treaty on general and complete disarmament under strict and effective international control.”

Going to this change of Article VI is, of course, advantageous for us in the case the American side agrees with it.

After agreeing with the Americans on all the indicated corrections and refinements to the draft Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons you can introduce the refined text of the draft treaty at the end of the general discussion in the First Committee in the name of the two co-chairs of the Eighteen-Nation Disarmament Committee – the USSR and USA.

You should coordinate the corrections to the draft agreement with the representatives from Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Bulgaria. Corresponding consultations can be conducted with German comrades through the GDR embassy in Moscow.

Telegraph when carried out.

^[1] Translator’s Note: The following information is extracted from Protocol No. 84 of the CPSU CC Politburo meeting, finalized on 6 June 1968 and covering numerous resolutions made during 28 May to 6 June 1968. A number of decisions were made during the meeting, including Point 37.