sessions,SaturdayafternoonandSundaymorning,initsvainpursuit.Sincethis
recordwasclearlynotdesignatedforHanoi,therewasnoneofthehortatory
bombastofthedachameeting;Gromyko,aswashisstyle,engagedinno
grandiosespeeches;hewastednotimeinrecriminations.He,ofcourse,would
havelikedtobeabletosendsomenew“concession”toHanoiashavingbeen
extractedfromusatthesummit.Butitwasimpossibleforustoaccommodate
him.Hanoiwouldneversettleunlessconvincedthatwewouldyieldnofurther.It
hadtobedeprivedofallexpec tationthatitsprocrastinationimprovedouroffers.
Ithereforesharplyre jectedGromyko’srepeatedprobesurgingacoalition
government.IpointedoutthecuriousfactthatHanoiwasseekingtokeepusin
VietnamsothatwecouldoverthrowThieuonitsbehalf.Thiswouldnever
happen.Therewereonlytworoutestoasettlement—themilitarytermsofour
May31,1971,proposal(essentiallycease‐fire,USwithdrawals,andreturnof
prisoners)asrefurbishedonMay8,1972,ortheoverallmilitaryandpolitical
programofthePresident’sJanuary25speech.Ifeitherapproachfailed,wewould
pursuethewar’sendbymilitarymeans.Gromykodidnotdebatethesepoints.
Whenwemetagainthenextmorning,Ihandedoverablandthree‐
sentenceparagraphforanagreedstatementonVietnam.(Intheworkingdraftof
thewholecommuniqué,aspacehadbeenleftblankforit.Isuggestedthat
perhapsweshouldleaveitthatway;itwouldcertainlybeanewapproach.
Gromykolookedpained.)Predictably,Gromykorejectedourdraft.Therewasno
choiceexcepttoreturntothe“unprincipled”formatoftheShanghai
Communiqué.Eachsidestateditsownposition;SovietsupportforHanoiwas
mildlyexpressed;therewasnocommonview.Hanoi,insho rt,wasonitsown.
SoGromykoandIproceededthroughthewholecommuniquéwhileNixon
visitedLeningrad.MymissingtheexcursiontoLeningradledtoastandingjoke
betweenGromykoandme.TheSovietspromisedto makeupforitbytakingme
toLeningradonmynexttriptotheSovietUnion.Oneachofmymanysucceeding
visitstotheUSSR,Leningradwasonmyoriginalschedule.Buteachtime,wewere
obligedtocanceltheexcursionbecauseofthepressureofworkinMoscow.I
finallytoldGromykothatIdoubtedLeningradreallyexisted;itwasbasicallya
come‐ontomakemecooperative.Gromyko,rebuttingthis,askedme,“Butwhere
didourRevolutiontakeplace?”“InSt.Petersburg,”Icouldnotresistreplying.