The Politburo confirms Cde. A.N. Kosygin’s answer to Johnson’s letter from July 30, 1968.
August 18, 1968
Text of letter from Chairman of the USSR Council of Minister A.N. Kosygin to the President of the USA, L. Johnson
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Per Point 5, Prot. No. 95[1]
Text of letter from Chairman of the USSR Council of Minister A.N. Kosygin to the President of the USA L. Johnson.
Dear Mr. President,
My colleagues and I have acquainted ourselves with your letter of July 30 of this year on the question of Soviet-American negotiations concerning the integral limitation and then reduction of both the delivery systems of offensive strategic nuclear weapons and of the defense systems against ballistic missiles.
We note with satisfaction your agreement with the proposed period and place of these negotiations.
Concerning the level for conducting the negotiations on this question, we are inclined toward the appointment of special delegations for this purpose.
As far as the specific date for beginning the negotiations at Geneva, we thought it possible to propose September 30, that is, to begin the negotiations immediately after the end of the conference of non-nuclear states which, as is known, will take place in Geneva from August 29 to September 28 of this year. We also consider it possible to announce the proposed date for beginning the Soviet-American negotiations even prior to the opening of the conference of non-nuclear states, for example, on August 22. The text of the announcement could be the following:
“Concerning the Soviet-American Negotiations on the Question of Curbing the Strategic Armaments Race
Agreement has been reached between the governments of the USSR and the USA to begin negotiations on September 30 in Geneva on the integral limitation and reduction of both the delivery systems of offensive strategic nuclear weapons and the defense systems against ballistic missiles. The Parties have agreed to appoint special delegations for this purpose.”
If you have any additional considerations, then we are prepared to study them, of course.
Sincerely,
A. Kosygin
Moscow
[blank] August 1968
[1] Note: The following information is extracted from Protocol No. 95 of the CPSU CC Politburo meeting, finalized on 17 August 1968 and covering numerous resolutions made during 17 to 19 August 1968. A number of decisions were made during the meeting and listed in numbered points. Point 5 was for a decision apparently made on 18 August 1968
Letter to Lyndon Johnson about setting a date for negotiations called the Soviet-American Negotiations on the Question of Curbing the Strategic Armaments Race.
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RGANI, f. 3, op. 72, d. 197, ll. 31-32. Contributed by Anna Pan; translation adapted from "Foreign Relations of the United States, 1964-1968, Vol. XIV, Soviet Union," Document 287
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