1. I HAVE JUST SPENT A TRYING TWO AND ONE- HALF HOURS IN
PRIVATE MEETING WITH SEMENOV (WHICH HE REQUESTED) IN WHICH WE
WENT ROUND AND ROUND THE MULBERRY BUSH ON THE VIRTUES OF DRAFTING
AGREEMENT TEXT ON THOSE MATTERS ON WHICH WE AGREE VERSUS FIRST
REACHING AN UNDERSTANDING ON WHAT WAS PRECISELY TO BE CONTAINED
IN AGREEMENT. HE SAID THAT IT HAD BEEN ALMOST TWO WEEKS SINCE
THEY TABLED THEIR DRAFT; THAT WE HAD AVOIDED ANY DISCUSSION OF IT;
THAT WE HAD SET FORTH SOME VIEWS WHICH HAD THE EFFECT OF CONCENT-
RATING ON THOSE MATTERS ON WHICH WE DISAGREED RATHER THAN ON THOSE
MATTERS N WHICH WE AGREED, AND HERE WE WERE AFTER TWO WEEKS
WITH NOTING CONCRETE TO SHOW FOR OUR LABOR-- OT EVEN THE TEXT OF
A PREAMBLE. HE AID THAT THIS WAS RAISNINGQUESTIONS IN MOSCOW
ON OUR WHOLE APPROACH AND IN A HAMHANDED REFERENCE TO
FEBRUARY 4 PRAVDA ARTICLE WITH ITS REFERENCE TO CIRCLES IN THE
US OPPOSED TO AGREEMENT AND DETENTE SEEMED TO BE TRYING TO GIVE
IMPRESSION THAT FAILURE TO MAKE WHAT THEY WOULD CONSIDER PRO-
GRESS HERE WAS FUELING OPPONENTS OF SALT AGREEMENT IN MOSCOW.
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2. SEMENOV SPECIFFICALLY PROPOSED ESTABLISHMENT OF WORKING
GROUP WORKING FROM SOVIET TEXT TO DRAFT PREAMBLE AND " ARTICLES
I, II, III AND IV," DESIGNATING KARPOV AND SMOLIN ON HIS SIDE.
HE SAID THAT " AS THEIR WORK PROCEEDED" IF TECHNICAL QUESTIONS
AROSE " EXPERTS COULD GET TOGETHER TO TRY TO WORK THEM OUT."
I TRIED TO TURN THIS INTO AGREEMENT THAT WHATEVER NAME THEY
MAY BE CALLED-- OR NO NAME--ROWNY AND GET TOGETHER ON PROBLEM
OF DEFINING STRATEGIC WEAPONS TO BE INCLUDED IN AGGREGATE,
AND MAY COULD GET TOGETHER WITH WHOMEVER HE DESIGNATED ON
MIRV VERIFICATION ISSUES; BUT HE DID NOT BITE.
3. I STRESSED IMPORTANCDE OF OUR HAVING THEIR VIEWS ON QUESTIONS
WHICH WE HAD RAISED AND OUR PROPOSED ANSWERS THERETO AS MOST
EXPEDITIOUS WAY OF GETTING AHEAD, STATING THAT WITHOUT THESE MATTERS
BEING RESOLVED OR AT LEAST KNOWING WHAT THE DIFFERENCES WERE,
IT WAS VERY DIFFICULT TO GET AHEAD WITH ANY DRAFTING. I,
OF CURSE, STRESSED THAT WE WERE NOT TRYING TO DELAY OR STALL,
RATHER APPROACHING THE WHOLE MATTER IN A WAY THAT WE
FELT COULD MOST QUICKLY ARRIVE AT BEST AGREEMENT.
I TRIED TO PUT BALL BACK INTO HIS COURT BY STATING THAT I HOPED BY
TUESDAY HE WOULD BE ABLE TO EXPRESS VIEWS ON THE PROPOSITIONS
THAT WE HAD PUT FORWARD. JOHNSON
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