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1552647
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December 26, 1973 - Kissinger, Schlesinger
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1552647
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document
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December 26, 1973 - Kissinger, Schlesinger
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Memoranda of Conversations (Nixon and Ford Administrations)
Nixon Administration Memoranda of Conversations
subjects
Europe
France
Israel
Iran
Great Britain
Egypt
Soviet Union
North Atlantic Treaty Organization. (4/4/1949 - )
Middle East conflicts
Petroleum
Trade embargoes
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1552647
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26
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1973-12-26
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12
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1973
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26
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1973-12-26
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12
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1973
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File scanned from the National Security Adviser's Memoranda of Conversation Collection at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library
NATIONAL ARCHIVES AND RECORDS ADMINISTRATION
Presidential Libraries Withdrawal Sheet
WITHDRAWAL ID 018644
REASON FOR WITHDRAWAL
National security restriction
TYPE OF MATERIAL
Memorandum of Conversation
TITLE
Kissinger and Schlesinger
CREATION DATE
12/26/1973
VOLUME
4 pages
COLLECTION/SERIES/FOLDER ID
031400100
COLLECTION TITLE
National Security Adviser. Memoranda of
Conversations
BOX NUMBER
3
FOLDER TITLE
December 26, 1973 - Kissinger,
Schlesinger
DATE WITHDRAWN
08/20/2004
WITHDRAWING ARCHIVIST
GG
reducted
2/15/08
MEMORANDUM
DECLASSIFIED E.O. 12958 SEC. 3.5
WITH PORTIONS EXEMPTED
THE WHITE HOUSE
E.O. 12958 SEC. 1.5
state ltr 2/15/08
WASHINGTON
MR07-113, #4; OSDer 10/2/07
SECRET/NODIS/XGDS
BY dal NARA DATE 11/10/08
MEMORANDUM OF CONVERSATION
PARTICIPANTS:
Dr. Henry A. Kissinger, Secretary of State and
Assistant to the President for National
Security Affairs
Dr. James R. Schlesinger, Secretary of Defense
General John A. Wickham, Jr., Military Assistant
to the Secretary of Defense
Major General Brent Scowcroft, Deputy Assistant
to the President for National Security Affairs
DATE AND TIME:
Wednesday, December 26, 1973
8:00 - 9:30 a.m. (breakfast)
PLACE:
The Pentagon
Kissinger: There is no evidence of the U.S. being responsible for the
anti-American way Europe is developing. There is something basically
wrong -- not just a failure on our part.
Clements is running around making trouble.
Dayan's withdrawal proposal was a one-kilometer move.
Schlesinger: We should make sure this remains a tempest in a teapot.
The problem is the frustration of the companies. [Tells a story
about the 50% shortfall in New England. ] The shortage isn't so severe
and the leakage is heavy. Why can't we get enough residual into New
England? I want to find out what the problem really is.
Kissinger: Faisal's real problem is how he can lift the embargo and
HERALD R
still retain leadership of the radicals.
Schlesinger: I think we must show the Arabs we won't operate under
pressure.
CLASSIFIED BY HENRY A. KISSINGER
EXEMPT FROM GENERAL DECLASSIFICATION
SECRET/NODIS/XGDS
SCHEDULE OF EXECUTIVE ORDER 11652
EXEMPTION CATEGORY
5 (b) (1, 3)
AUTOMATICALLY DEGLASSIFIED ON Imp. to det,
SECRET/NODIS/XGDS
2.
Kissinger: I think we should hold up on disengagement until the embargo
is lifted.
Schlesinger: Was the AOPEC decision a surprise?
Kissinger: Yes. Faisal said he would work for lifting the embargo and
he had never failed in his word. Though Akins said lifting wasn't
enough -- production had to be increased. This could be the first step
in lifting production.
Schlesinger: The 10% increase is good, and we can get our share.
Kissinger: That's right. Lifting the embargo without an increase in
production wouldn't help.
Schlesinger: The international balance of payments problems will be
terrible for many countries.
Kissinger: European leadership is so weak.
Schlesinger: Norway is getting rich. They should spend some on defense.
Kissinger: I'll bring you up to date. Egypt will go through the motions
until the 8th or 9th of January. Then, Egypt's proposal is to withdraw
heavy equipment from the east bank, and Israel is to withdraw to the passes.
The heavy equipment goes further east, and put the UN in between. This
takes Egypt out of the war.
Schlesinger: That is great for Egypt and Israel. Is it good for us? How
about the Canal. We only have two carriers which can go through the
Canal. These are scheduled to retire. We should probably keep them.
Kissinger: I agree.
This Egyptian proposal would defuse the situation and lessen the
possibilities of blackmail. It would split the Arabs. Asad knows this --
he called Sadat a pimp!
If there is anything we want from Egypt on the Canal, we better
ask them now.
Schlesinger: I want a base in Sinai.
SECRET/NODIS/XGDS
TERMIT GERALDA FORD
SECRET/NODIS/XGDS
3.
Kissinger: Very privately -- Sadat wants to abrogate the Soviet treaty
and he wants arms from us. He said he would either kick the Soviet
Union out or give us equivalent bases. This withdrawal is good. It opens
the Canal, but takes off the terrible pressure on us from the unstable
military situation.
Schlesinger: If we get a base in the Sinai I don't care about the Canal.
Kissinger: Asad has pressure from Iraq and has internal challenges.
His nightmare is Sadat will take himself out of the war and leave him holding
the bag. So we need a disengagement agreement for Syria also. Then we
will have defused the situation and can deal with the rest of the problem
calmly.
The Israelis will change once the pullback starts. Their military
is stupid what they need is demilitarized zones which give a warning
when crossed.
Schlesinger: Do you think we can get a base in Sinai if the Soviet Union
stays in Egypt?
Kissinger: Not for six months or a year, and maybe not ever.
Schlesinger: How do we threaten the producers without men out there?
Kissinger: How about Ethiopia? Our task force out there was very
effective.
Schlesinger:
I told our people that in view of the price rise, I want to hit the
Shah with a good share of the F-14 and 15 R&D. Also charge the
Saudis high for their many needs.
How about our European friends? Jackson-Nunn is no problem
if we define the offset properly. We will have a DPRC meeting to
massage the group from Commerce. The issue is: The Europeans are
already offsetting our balance of payments costs. We have to get
Commerce to count right. They are counting many things which they
shouldn't count.
SECRET/NODIS/XGDS
SECRET/NODIS/XGDS
4.
Kissinger: The danger of your approach is that the Europeans will do
nothing.
Schlesinger: Yes, we must hit the Europeans that the thing they must
do is to raise their defense budgets -- this would defuse Mansfield, et al.
Kissinger: I was depressed by the NATO meeting. They will promise
anything then not deliver. Scheel is terrible; Home is okay; the French
are playing a desperate game -- Jobert may be okay but Pompeidou is
bad.
Can we have Foster do something with Galley that doesn't hurt?
Schlesinger: Let's talk about that. Our NATO friends think we undercut
them with the French when they try to stand up for us. The French say
they make us eat crow and like it. The Dutch said they would buy U.S.
rather than French aircraft because France wasn't in NATO. Carrington
said France couldn't enjoy the benefits of membership if they didn't pay
their dues.
Kissinger: That's true. The opposite argument is that the alternative to
their present program is zero; if it leaks, it will destroy their credibility
with the other allies, and it gives us some leverage.
Schlesinger: Let me see what we can give them.
The British are giving up on Poseidon. Shouldn't we have them
withdraw their people?
Kissinger: Are they? If so, yes.
Scowcroft: They haven't yet said anything to us.
TREATY GERALD FORD
Schlesinger: No. But their budget decision stretches things out at
least two years.
SECRET/NODIS/XGDS
2
NATIONAL ARCHIVES AND RECORDS ADMINISTRATION
Presidential Libraries Withdrawal Sheet
WITHDRAWAL ID 018645
REASON FOR WITHDRAWAL
National security restriction
TYPE OF MATERIAL
Note
DESCRIPTION
Brent Scowcroft's handwritten notes of
Kissinger and Schlesinger meeting
CREATION DATE
12/26/1973
VOLUME
7 pages
COLLECTION/SERIES/FOLDER ID
031400100
COLLECTION TITLE
National Security Adviser. Memoranda of
Conversations
BOX NUMBER
3
FOLDER TITLE
December 26, 1973 - Kissinger,
Schlesinger
DATE WITHDRAWN
08/20/2004
WITHDRAWING ARCHIVIST
GG