Kissinger Henry. White House Years

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henegotiationwiththeSovietUnionoverBerlinwasalsoconductedonbotha

secretandanofficiallevel,butBerlinexceededevenSALTinitsintricacyand

esotericjargon.WhereasinSALTwewereincompletechargeofourside,on

BerlinwehadnotonlytodealwiththeSovietUnionbutalsotokeepin

partnershipwithBritainandFranceasoccupyingpowers,theFederalRepublicof

Germanyastheallymostconc erned,andtheWestBerlingovernment,which,

afterall,representedthepeoplewhoseopportunityto liveinfreedomwasat

stake.Moreover,thenegotiationwasencrustedbyyearsofhagglingover

legalisms.Therewasscarcelyanytopic,fromtheexactformofastamponapass

tothelegalstatusoftheentirecity,thathadnotbeensquabbledoverwiththe

Sovietsinthe1950sand1960s.Anyinitiativehadtocontendwithalonglegacyof

accumulatedjuridicalformulas;andithadtobypassthestonewallingofthechief

Sovietnegotiator,PyotrA.Abrasimov,SovietAmbassadortoEastGermany,who

wasnotadiplomatbuta CommunistPartyfunctionarywhoseentireexperience

hadbeenindealingwithEastEuropeans.Hewasthusperemptoryandabrasive

evenbySovietstandards.Hefoundithardtoacceptthathecouldnotsimply

issuedirectivestotheWesternnegotiators.

T



TheWesternbargainingpositionwasfundamentallyunfavorable.Theroad,

rail,andairlinkstoWestBerlinwereeasypreytoharassmentbytheSovietsand

EastGermans,tointerruptions soseeminglytrivialthattheyweredifficultto

challengeandyetintheircumulativeimpactprofoundlythreateningtothe

freedomofBerlin.WestBerlinerswereforbiddentotravelto EastBerlin.There

wasnotelephoneservice.Railandroadserviceforcivilianswasunderthecontrol

ofEastGermany,whichwedidnotevenrecognizeatthattime.Technically,

militarytrafficpassedthroughaSoviet‐controlledcheckpoint,buteventhiswasa

fiction,sinceactuallyanEastGermanguardcontrolledthegateswhileaSoviet

officerloungedinanearbyshackincaseadisputedeveloped. 



The“Westernsectors”—thetermalwaysusedbythealliestoemphasize

thatBerlinstillwasasinglecityunderFour‐Poweroccupation—weresupported

economicallybyWestGermany.Indeed,theFederalRepublichadmadea special

effortunderboththeChristianDemocraticandsocialDemocraticgovernmentsin

BonntoestablishapoliticalaswellaseconomicpresenceinBerlin.Theseefforts

hadbeensupportedandencouragedbythethreeWesternpowers.Nevertheless,

inordertomaintaintheoccupationstatus,whichwasthesolelegalbasisfor

holdingtheSovietstoaccountoverBerlin,thethreeWesternpowersnever

acknowledged,andtheFederalRepublicneverclaimed,thatWestBerlinwaspart

oftheFederalRepublic.ItwasthereforeverymuchintheUSinteresttoestablish

Sovietlegalobligations toallowmorenormalaccesstoWestBerlin,andbetween

WestandEastBerlin,whichforadecadehadbeenseparate dfromeachotherby

theWall.



ForadecadeBerlin’svulnerabilityhadbeentreatedbytheSovietsasan

opportunitytoexploit,notasanincentivetosettle.Whatwehadgoingforusin

1971wasMoscow’sconcerntoachieveratificationofBrandt’sEasterntreaties.

BecauseitwasinherentinOstpolitikthatitstangibleadvantagesseemedtobe

one‐sided—afterall,Bonnwasacceptingthedivisionofitscountryinreturnfor

nothingmorethanimprovementsinthepoliticalatmosphere—afavorableBerlin

agreementhadtosupplythequidproquo.Moscowwasthusintheparadoxical

positionofbeingaskedtomakeconcessionsnotjustifiedbythelocalbalanceof

forcesinordertoachievegainsonothermattersofimportancetoit.Itwasa

classiccaseoflinkage.Thepracticalconsequenceofthislinkage,however,was

thatintheprocesswebecameresponsiblefortheultimatesuccessofBrandt’s

policy.



Twomajorissueshadtobesettled:



•theWesternpowerswantedaSoviet(notEastGerman)guaranteethat

theiraccesstoBerlinwouldbepreferentialandunhindered; 



•theFederalRepublicwantedSovietacceptanceofsignificant politicalties

betweentheFederalRepublicandBerlin,toremovethetraditionalpretexts

ofCommunistpressuresagainstWestBerlin.



TheSovietUnionhadbeguntheFour‐Po wernegotiationsbyattackingboth

issueswithtraditionalsubtlety;itputforthitsmaximumpositionwith

sledgehammertactics.Withrespecttoaccess,theSovietsdeniedany

competence;theyinsistedthattrafficcrossingEastGermanywasnotsubjectto

theircontrolorinfluence;itwasamatterforthetwoGermansidestodiscuss.If

theSovietsasoneoftheoccupyingpowe rshadnoresponsibility,thenaccording

totheSovietapproachneitherdidtheWesternallies.CivilianaccesstoBerlinwas

thusapurelyGermanmatter;anycrisishadtoberesolvedasaninter‐German

affair.



Asforthe“federalpresence”—theSovietpositionwassimplicityitself.The

Sovietsdemandednothing lessthanthecompleteeliminationofanyvestigeof

Bonn’s“illegal”activitiesinthecity,ofwhichtheyputforwardanencyclopedic

list.AndincharacteristicfashionAbrasimovdemandedthattheissueoffederal

presencebesettledfirst;onlythenwouldaccessbediscussed.TheSoviets

seemedtowanttousethenegotiationstoturnWestBerlinintoa“freecity,”

pressureforwhichhadproducedamajorcrisisin1958‐1959andthenagainin

1961.ItwasareplayoftheirSALTtactics,inwhichtheSovietsalsowantedto

settletheissueofgreatestconcerninMoscow—ABM—beforeturningtomatters

thatwewanted.WhatpointtheSovietsthoughtwasservedbyputtingforwarda

propositionwhoseacceptanceBrandtcouldnotsurvivemayremainforever

mysterious.



AnothertacktheSovietsattemptedjustasIbecamepersonallyinvolvedin

February1971wastotrytobypasstheFourPowersaltogether.AnEastGerman

official,MichaelKohl,appearedinBonntonegotiat ethenormalizationof

relationsbetweenEastGerma nyandtheFederalRepublic.Ihadsetupthesecret

navalchannelpreviouslydescribed tokeeptheFederalRepublic’sBahr,our

AmbassadorKenRush,andmyselfintouchwithoneanother,andIuseditforthe

firsttimetowarnBahrthatheshouldnotbetemptedtolettheSovietsusehim

foranend‐runinanall‐Germanforum.



MynextstepwastodiscusswithDobrynin,onFebruary10,thedraft

proposaltheWesternpowershadsubmittedintheFour‐PowertalksonFebruary

5.ThisinsistedonunhinderedaccessbackedbyaSovietguarantee.Astothe

federalpresence,thedraftofferedthatconstitutionalorgans,suchasthe

ParliamentthatelectedthePresident,wouldnolongermeetinBerlin,andthatall

WestGermanministrieswouldbegarneredunderasinglerepresentativeofthe

FederalRepublicinBerlin.Itwasnotmuchofaconcession,sincetheoffices

wouldremain,butitgavetheSovietsaface‐savinginstitutionwithwhichthey

coulddeal.Everythingthatwasnotproscribedwouldbepermitted.



KenRushwasthelinchpin.Hekeptmebriefedformynegotiationswith

Dobrynin;hekeptinclosetouchwiththeotherWesternalliestomakesurethat

thealliedpositionsremainedcompatible;healsohadtocurbBahr’spropensity

forsolitaryeffortsandforclaimingcreditwiththeSovietsforallconcessions

made.AndRushhadtoaccomplishallthiswithouttheknowledgeofhisown

StateDepartment.Itwasanoddwaytorunagovernment.Themiracleisthatit

worked,dueinlargemeasuretoRush’sunflappableskill.



Dobryninbeganbyinsistingthataccessproceduresshouldbehandledby

thetwoGermanys,thensuddenlydredgedupacompromise:TheSovietswould

expresstheirresponsibilityforaccessintheformofaunilateraldeclarationof

whattheyunderstoodtheEastGermanviewtobe.Thisstatementwouldthenbe

incorporatedinageneralguaranteeofthewholeagreement.Ihadtoadmitthat

thissoundedlikeadistinctpossibility,sinceitwasinfactpreciselytheWestern

fallbackpositionthatwasalreadybeingdiscussedintheformalchannels.(Iteven

occurredtomethatratherthanmyacceptanceofaSovietcompromise,whatin

factwashappeningattheFebruary10meetingwasSovietacceptanceofour

fallbackposition,whichhadbeenfedtoMoscowfromsomeothersource.)



WhenInotifiedBahrandRushofmyconversationwithDobrynin,they

bothaffirmedthatsuchaguaranteewouldbeacceptabletotheWesternallies,

providedthattheaccessprocedureswhichwerebeingguaranteedwere

sufficientlydetailedtoimproveBerlin’sviability.DobryninreactedonFebruary22

bysuggestingthatIsubmitadetailedsetofaccessprocedures.ThisthrewBahr

andRushintoafrenzyofdrafting,complicatedbyfrequentgarblesin

transmissionofthelongtextsthatwerecabledtomeinourbackchannel.Their

draftrepresentedanamalgamationofthevariousalliedpositionsandwas

thereforelikelytobeacceptableinthealliedforums.OnFebruary26Isubmitted

thisdocumenttoDobrynin.



OnMarch15DobryninrenewedhisappealforafurtherWestern

concessiononfederalpresence.Isaidthatwecouldnotgobeyondtheallied

positionassubmittedinFebruary.ItwasindicativeofhoweagertheSovietswere

forprogressthatDobryninimmediatelyofferedacompromise:someSoviet

presenceinWestBerlin—forexample,aconsulate—inreturnforaSoviet

guaranteeofaccess.Thisseemedtoconcedethedefinitionoffederalpresence

putforwardbythealliesonFebruary5.



Nothing,ofcourse,workssosimplyintheSovietsystem.ByMarch18

eitherMoscowhadsecondthoughtsorsomeotherelementoftheSoviet

bureaucracydemandedproofthatmorewasnotattainable.Dobryninhandedme

acomplete,detailedSovietdraftofaBerlinagreementthatineffectwithdrew

mostoftheconcessionsmadeduringthepreviousmonth.Heinvitedmy

commentsbeforeMoscowofferedthetextintheFour‐PowertalksonMarch26.

Itwasimpossibletodealwithalltheesotericlegalissuesinamassivedocument

insoshortatime.Ontheotherhandtheformalsubmissiontothefourwasnotof

decisiveimportance;itsmainsignificancewastokeeptheFour‐Powertalksgoing.



AfterconsultationwithRushandBahrIrepliedtoDobryninonMarch22.I

wasinnopositiontoofferacounterdraft andIdidnotwanttobedrawnintoa

detailednegotiationofaSovietdocumentthatwouldensurenegotiationswould

beaboutourconcessions.ToforcetheSovietstomovetowardourview—whichI

thoughttheywould—Iputforward,inconsultationwithRush,anumberof

generalprinciples:first,anyagreementhadtoaffirmBerlin’stiestotheFederal

RepublicandSovietacceptanceoftheauthorityoftheWesternpowersinWest

Berlin.Second,theundertakingonaccessmustbeasolidguaranteebytheSoviet

UnionthatsurfaceaccesstoBerlin,civilianaswellasmilitary,beunhindered.

Third,therehadtobeaSovietcommitmenttoimprovementsinaccessbetween

thecity’stwohalves.Fourth,theagreementhadtoindicatethattheformofWest

Berlinrepresentationabroadwastheresponsibilityofthethreepowers—thiswas

aeuphemismforpermittingWestGermanytorepresentBerlin,fortheWestern

powerswoulddelegatetheirauthoritytoBonn.Andfifth,anyunderstanding

regardingaSovietofficialpresenceinWestBerlinhadtobehandledoutsidethe

Four‐PowerBerlinagreement.ThiswastopreventtheSovietUnionfrom

abrogatingtheprovisionsonaccessbyusingthepretextthattheexerciseofits

consularfunctionsinWestBerlinwasbeinginterferedwith.IhandedDobryninan

aide‐mémoirespellingoutinconsiderabledetailthepracticalimplicationsof

theseviews.



DobryninandIcameupwiththeideaofprivatetalksbetweenAbrasimov

andRush.Itturnedouttobeoneofthoseideaseasiertoconceivethanto

implement.AbrasimovwasinEastBerlin,RushinBonn.TheymetonlyatFour‐

Powermeetings.Foreitherofthemtocontacttheothermeantbecoming

noticeabletothemediabycrossingcheckpointsalongthewall.Andforthemto

meetprivately,eveninthecontextofaFour‐Powersession,wouldbequestioned

bytheotherambassadors—aswellasreportedinthefrontchannelsoftheState

Department,thusge nerating Washingtondemandsforafullreport.



Wethoughtwehadovercomethedifficultiesandarrangedameetingfor

March25.Abrasimov,whoeitherdidnotunders tandthemutualcommitmentto

thetwo‐channelsystemanditssignificance,orwantedtodamuptheDobrynin

Channel(orboth),thereupondidaSemenov:Heputtherequestforaprivate

meetingwithRushintofrontchannels,creatingagreatdealofconfused

speculationinWashington. Thenheequallymysteriouslycanceledtherequest.

HismeetingwithRushwasrescheduledforthenextFour‐PowersessiononApril

16.AbrasimovblamedthefailurethistimeonRush’shavingleftthemeeting

early.Itwasatransparentsubterfuge,forRushhadwarnedeveryonethathe

wouldhavetohostadinnerfortheBostonPopsOrchestrainBonnthatevening.

Somethingdeeperwasobviouslyhappening,perhapsatug‐of‐warbetweenthe

SovietMinistryofforeignAffairs(representedbyDobrynin)andtheParty

machinery(representedbyAbrasimov).OrelseGromykohaddecidedthathis

Marchdraftwasaloserandwouldneverserveasthebasisfornegotiation,and

hechosethiswaytowithdrawit.ItisnotimpossiblethattheSovietsdidnottrust

theAbrasimov‐Rushchannelaloneandwantedtofindaforumthatwouldinclude

Bahr,inwhomtheyobviouslyhadconfidence.Whateverthereason,whenI

suggestedtoDobryninonApril23thattheSovietAmbassadortoBonn,Valentin

Falin,besubstitutedforAbrasimov,heacceptedeagerly.InBonn,Falin,Rush,and

Bahrcouldmeetwithoutattractingattention.FromGromyko’spointofviewit

probablyhadtheadditionaladvantageofkeepingeverythinginforeignOffice

channels.



ItwasobviouslynecessaryformetomeetwithEgonBahragain.Once

moreweneededavenuethatcouldjustifyourgettingtogether.Wechosethe

BilderbergConference,aninformalannualget‐togetherofEuropeanand

AmericanpoliticalandbusinessleadersscheduledfortheweekendofApril24‐25

inVermont.Thereinsylvansetting—picketedbyleft‐winggroupswhosawthe

conferenceasacapitalistconspiracyandbyright‐winggroupswhosuspected

suchradicalsponsorsasDavidRockefellerandJackHeinzofsellingoutAmericato

shadyinternationalism—BahrandIreviewedthestateofthenegotiations.He

hadaningenioussuggestion:thatbothsidesdropthelegaljustificationsfortheir

positionsandworkinsteadondescribingtheirprac ticalresponsibilitiesand

obligations.Iagreed,subjecttodiscussionwithRush,providedtheaccess

procedureswerespelledoutinadegreeofdetailthatprecludedlater

misunderstanding.



IexploredBahr’sapproachwithDobryninonMonday,April26.He

acceptedwithanalacritythatsuggestedthathewasnothearingitforthefirst

time.IhaveknownnoSovietdiplomat—includingGromyko—whowouldaccepta

newmajorproposalwithout referringittoMoscow.Itwasnotalwaysabsolutely

clearhowmanychannelswereoperatingandwhotheprincipalnegoti atorwas. I

madesureofBahr’sauthoritybyinsistingthatRushrequestBrandt’spersonal

endorsementofbothprocedureandsubstance.ThisheobtainedonApril30.



OnMay3,apparentlyunde rSovietpressure,thedourStalinistWalter

UlbrichtwasreplacedasPartybossinEastGermanybyErichHonecker,ostensibly

forreasonsofhealth.Honeckerwassaidtobemoreflexible—recognizingthatin

CommunistEastGermanythisisanextremelyrelativeterm.



Falin,Bahr,andRushmetforthefirsttimeonMay10.Thereafter,the

centralfocusofthebackchannelnegot iationsshiftedintothatforum,with

Dobryninandmebreakinganydeadlocks .Eachofthethreemainnegotiators

reportedallseparateconversationstotheother(atleastintheory)astheonly

meansofpreventingchaos.Anenormousamountofcabletrafficfrequently

overloadedthespecialcommunicationchannel.TheNavytookonmorethanit

bargainedforwhenitagreedtoserveascommunicationlink. Itacquitteditself

well.



OnMay10Falin,Rush,andBahrmetagain. Followingmyinstructionsand

hisownbeliefs,Rushresiste dBahr’spressurestosubmitdetailedproposalson

accessproceduresandfederalpresencewithoutclearancebytheotherallies.

RushinsistedonapriormeetingwiththeworkingGroupoftheWestern

occupyingpowers.Weexpectedthattheywouldapprovethenewapproachin

principle;weforesawnodifficultyingettingtheiragreementtodetailedaccess

procedures,especiallyifBonnputthemforward.Bahrobjectedtothisprocedure

inFalin’spresence,insistingon submittingtentativeproposalsimmediately.Rush

againwiselyresisted.Eventuallytheworking Groupwentalongwiththenew

approach,whichwaspresentedasaplanning,notanegotiating,paper.



Therewasanotherweek’sdelaywhileRushonmyinstructionspostponeda

meetingscheduledforMay19asaresponsetoSemenov’sconductin

circumventingtheChannelduringtheSALTtalks.AftertheSALTbreakthroughof

May20,Iletthingsproceed.FalinfollowedtheusualSovietnegotiatingtechnique

ofretractingonJune4whathehadconcededonMay27and28,onlytorestore

mostofitonJune6.TherestofJunewasspentbyRush,Bahr,andFalinin

draftingtheincrediblycomplex,interlockingdocumentsthatconstitutedthefinal

Berlinagreement.EachofthesesessionsproducedagreementsthatIreviewedon

behalfofthePresidentandsomecontentiouspointsthatIsortedoutwith

Dobrynin.Atthisstage,theSoviets’basiceffortwastotrytolimitthesignificance

oftheirguaranteeofaccessbyinsertingqualifyingphrasessuchas“withintheir

areaofcompetence”orvaguereferencesasto“canonsofinternationallaw”;this

wouldhaveenabledthemlatertoargueaboutwhattheirareaofcompetence

wasorwhatprovisionofintern ationallawwouldapplytoaccessprocedures

acrosssovereignterritory.



ThelogjamsuddenlybrokebecausetheBerlinnegotiationsturnedintoone

ofthoseoccasionsonwhichGromykoseemedtobeseizedwithanearpanicthat

theymightabortonthebrinkofsuccess.Hedecidedtoblackmailusintoaspeedy

conclusionbymakingfinalagreementtoasummitconditionalontheconclusion

ofaBerlinagreement.Whetherthiswasbecausehewasgenuinelyworried,or

whetherhewantedtoacquiresomeadditionalkudosintheKremlinforsharp

marksmanship,theconsequencewasexactlytheoppositeoftheintention.Once

itbecameclearthattherewouldbenosummitinSeptember,Isoughttodelay

theconclusionoftheBerlinagreementuntilaftertheannouncementofmy

Pekingvisit.ThiswouldeaseSoviettemptationstouseourChinaopeningasa

pretexttolaunchanewroundofcrises.Isucceeded,butonlywithsome

difficulty.EvenRush,likeallnegotiators,wasgettingcarriedawaybytheprospect

ofanagreementandprocrastinatedonlywithgreatreluctance(notknowing,of

course,thereasonsinvolved).AndastheWesternalliesnoticedaneasingofthe

SovietpositionintheformalFour‐Powersessions,theytoopressedforarapid

conclusion.



OnJuly7AmbassadorFalinre turnedfromMoscow,wherehehadbeenfor

consultations,andtoldBahrandRushwithastraightfacethattohissurprise

GromykohadapprovedalltheconcessionsmadeinJune.Thishadsparedhim

(Falin)thenecessityofappealingtoKosyginandBrezhnevoverGromyko’shead.

Evenskepticslikeme,whosemindsboggledatthevisionofGromyko’slearningof

amonth’squotaofmajorconcessionsforthefirsttimefromasubordinatewho

thenthreatenedtogooverhisheadifneedbe,couldnotdoubtthattheSoviets

meanttopressBerlintoarapidconclusion.



Rushreceivedanothernecessarilyincomprehensibleinstructionfromme:

tostaveoffafinalnegotiatingrounduntilafterJuly15.WhenmyvisittoPeking

wasannounced,BahrinformedmethattheRussiansinBonnreactedemotionally

butthattheywouldneverthelesscontinuetoproceedwiththeBerlinnegotiation.

Thiswasnotmuchofafavor,becausetheyneededaBerlinagreementfarmore

thanwedid.Butitwasausefulpieceofintelligence,indicatingthatthefearof

ourKremlinologiststhatanopeningtoPekingwouldwreckourrelationswith

Moscowwasfalse.Eventsboreoutthisearlysign,forninedaysafterIgaveRush

thego‐aheadagain,heandBahrsettledthelastcontentiousissue. 



TheSovietsacquiescedinextendingtheconsularprotectionoftheFederal

RepublictocitizensofWestBerlinandinWestBerliners’righttotravelonWest

Germanpassports.Inreturnweagreedtotheessentiallyface‐savingdeviceof

permittingaSovietconsulatetobeestablishedinWestBerlin.Itwasofnohelpto

theSoviettheoryofseparatingWestBerlinfromtheFederalRepublic,since

SovietconsulatesexistinWestGermancities.(Inthenearlytenyearsthatthe

BerlinagreementhasbeeninforcetheSovietconsulatehasplayednoimportant

role.)



AttheendofthedayRushbackchanneledwithjustifiablepride:“Adraftof

thetentativeagreementisenclosedanditisstilldifficultformetobelievethatit

isasfavorableasitis.Itisstillsubjecttothefinalapprovalofyou,Gromykoand

Brandtrespectively…weyesterdaysecuredfromFalinpracticallyeverythingthat

wewanted.”Andhewasright.Whereasbeforetherehadexistednolegalbasis

forcivilianaccessatall,proceduresforitwerenowspelledoutinmeticulous

detail,downtosuchtechnicalitiesastheuseofsealedconveyancesfor

manufacturedgoods.WhereasbeforetheSovietUnionhadwasheditshandsof

Berlinaccess,claimingthatittookplaceatthesovereigndiscretionoftheEast

Germans,itnowguaranteedit.ThefederalpresenceinWestBerlinwasslightly

reduced—especiallywithrespecttoactivitiesthathadneverbeenrecognizedby

theallies,suchasthequadrennialelectionofthefederalPresident.ButtheSoviet

UnionhadacceptedtheprinciplethattiesbetweentheFederalRepublicand

Berlincouldbe“maintainedanddeveloped”—thusprovidingalegalbas isfor

strengtheningeconomicandculturaltiesbetweenBonnandBerlin.Theaccord

empoweredWestGermanytorepresentBerlinininternationalagreementsor

bodiesandenabledBerlinerstotravelonWestGermanpassports.Insum,the

agreementimpliedandbroughtaboutasubstantialimprovementinthelivesand

safetyofBerlin’spopulation.Thetextsubstantiallyachievedthegoalsetforthby

theFour‐PowerdraftsubmittedonFebruary5,infactparallelingitinmajor

categories.



Butthesecretconclusionoftheagreementamongus,theFederalRepublic,

andtheSovietsdramatizedthebureaucraticproblemgeneratedbyoursystemof

twochannels.Somehowwehadtoseeto itthatourownStateDepartmentdid

notcomplicatematters.Moreover,theagreementhadtoberatifiedinaFour‐

Powerforumstaffedbydiplomatsexquisitelyconsciousoftheirprerogativesas

representativesofoccupyingpowers.Inaddition,thespeedwithwhichthe

“negotiation”hadsuddenlyproceededwasmystifyingtothosewhoforadecade

hadbeenusedtotheritualsofstalemate.Theproblemwasnotinsuperable,fo r

manyelementsoftheagreeddrafthadbeendrawnfromtheplanningpapersof

theworkingGroup,butitwasnottrivialeither.RushandAbrasimovmanagedto

introducethenoncontroversialitems,whileBahrputforwardthemoredifficult

provisionswithoursupport.Sofarsogood,butoncetheformalFour‐Powertalks

reopenedonAugust10,theywere,ofcourse,underthedirectionoftheregular

bureaucracyanditwasdeterminedtoproveitsmettle.Suddenly,Rushreceived

instructionsthroughStateDepartmentchannelsaskinghimtorephrase

paragraphsalreadysettledinprivatenegotiations.Thechangeswerenot

significant,yettheyraisedfearsinBahr’smindthatwewereopeningo urselvesto

accusationsofbadfaith.I inturncomplainedtoDobryninaboutAbrasimov’s

roughtactics,especiallytowardtheBritishAmbassador,whohadalowboiling

point.OnAugust18‐19theproblemsseemedfinallyovercome.Fullallied

agreementwasachieved.Rushsentajubilantbackchannelcableclaimingthatthe

bureaucrats“havebeenfoiled.”[

IamawarethatIamdescribingacomplexmultilateral

negotiationfromtheperhapsinadequateperspectiveofasingleparticipant.Idonotknow

whatbilateralcontactswentonbetweentheotherparticipantswhosecontributionmayhave

equaledorexceededwhatIamhererecounting.Forexample,whenJeanSauvagnargues,the

Frenchrepresentativeatthesetalks,becamemycolleagueandfriendasForeignMinister,he

referredseveraltimestoacentralcontributionhehadmade,andSauvagnargueswasnotgiven

tobragging;buthiscommentswereenigmatictome.Ididnotpressforelucidation,forIwas

noteagertoreciprocate.Itisquitepossiblethattherewereotherbilateralcontactswiththe

Soviets.Weshallhavetowaitforthememoirsoftheotherparticipants.

]



Thetruthwasthattheyhadjustawakened.Forthethirdtimeinthree

monthsanegotiat ionwasbeingcompletedinwhichtheregularbureaucracyhad