CABLE TO THE WHITE HOUSE FROM PARIS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: Library of Congress
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): LOC-HAK-139-6-11-9
• Release Decision: RIPLIM
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: January 11, 2017
• Document Release Date: September 25, 2012
• Sequence Number: 11
• Publication Date: September 7, 1973
• Content Type: CABLE

OP :IMMED
DP
0 071908
FM PARIS
No Objection to Declassification in Part 2012/09/25: LOC-HAK-139-6-11-9 a Dept. review completed]
? IP
*******
#0254 2501912
SEP 73 ZYH
To WHITE HOUSE
SECRET *******S COpY ?
MORI/CDF
C05141402
SECRETEYES ONLY 071908Z SEP 73
ON-FILE NSC RELEASE INSTRUCTIONS APPLY
25X1
25X1
To: _DR HENRY A. KISSINGER, THE WHITE HOUSE.
:FROM: AMBASSADOR IRWIN, PARIS 254
j: MET WITH JOBERT THIS MORNING, SEPTEMBER 7. AS USUAL I FOUND
CHARMING BUT SOMEWHAT ELUSIVE.
JOBERT CONFIRMED THAT HE PERSONALLY WOULD GO TO
THE FOREIGN MINISTERS' MEETING IN COPENHAGEN NEXT WEEK, ABOUT
:WHICH THERE HAD BEEN SOME DOUBT. PER GENERAL SCOWCROFT'S
.TELEPHONE CALL TO ME I SAID YOU WERE DISAPPOINTED AT JOBERT'S LACK
'OF RESPONSE TO DISCUSSIONS YOU HAD HAD AND TO THE DRAFT MAOF
AVAILABLE TO HIM. HE SAID HE WAS NOT IN A POSITION TO DISCUSS
-THE SPECIFICS OF THE FRENCH POSITION UNTIL AFTER THE NINE HAD REACHED
A COMMOWPOSITION IN COPENHAGEN. HE THEN MADE ONE OF HIS
,CRYpTIC COMMENTS, IN THIS CASE ABOUT PRELIMINARY INOPPORTUNP
CONTACTS BEING MADE WITH THE NINE BEFORE THEIR COMMON POSITION WAS
EsTABLISHED. HE SAID HE HAD BEEN CONCERNED TO HEAR THAT YOU HAD
TOLD THE BRITISH, WHO NATURALLY PASSED IT ON TO THEIR EUROPEAN
PARTNERS, THAT YOU OBJECTED TO THE NINE MEETING TO ARRIVE AT SUCH
COMMON POSITION. IF US WERE IN FAVOR OF THE NINE, AS WE
'OFTEN CLAIMED, WE SHOULD NO -OBJECT TO MEETINGS OF THE NINE TO
ARRIVE AT COMMON POSITIONS. NOR COULD WE EXPECT' THE NINE in
tSTABIASH THERE POSITIONS WITH TEN (E.E. THE US).
IN ANY CASE HE SAID THE NINE EXISTED, AND THERE WOULD
?-BE MANY SUCH MEETINGS. HE WANTED TO SUGGEST IN THE SPIRIT- OF
c'AINOLV.COUNSEL-THAT WE NOT PUT OURSELVES IN THE POSITION OF SEEMING
WoBJECT TO THESE MEETINGS. HE REPEATED THIS THOUGHT SEVEPAL TIMES
TN THE CONVERSATION. EVEN IF OUR OBJECTIONS WERE ONLY FOR TACTICAL
N:Rpos.s, AS HE SAID HE SUSPECTED, HE THOUGHT THE TACTICS WERE
41Ap.. SUCH OBJECTIONS COULD ,ONLY RESULT IN THE EC DEFIND/NG ITSELF
l'itRE AND MORE BY OPPOSTION TO THE UNITED STATES.' HE IMPLIED
DID NOT WANT" THIS ANY MORE THAN WE PRESUMABLY WOULD.
I DO NOT. KNOW WHAT EXACTLY WAS SAID TO THE BRITISH OR WHETHER
40SERT IS INTERPRETING IT CORRECTLY. IF HE WAS REFERRING TO
'WHAT SIR BURKE TREND WAS TOLD, AS REPORTED IN STATE 158268,
409ERT HAS EITHER MISUNDERSTOOD OUR POSITION OR IS CHOOSING
4 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *wHSR COMMENT * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
MAK,SCOWCROFT,RODMAN,HOWE,mCFARLANE
RECALLED
PSNi022572 PAGE 01 TOR:250/21i14Z DTG:07i9(Z87 SEP 73
******* SECRET
*******S COPY
No Objection to Declassification in Part 2012/09/25: LOC-HAK-139-6-11-9
No Objection to Declassification in Part 2012/09/25: LOC-HAK-139-6-11-9
*****T S E C R ?E T AIPL**S?COPv
. ,
TO mISINTERPRET IT.. IN EITHER CASE WOULD YOU LIKE ME TO PASS HIM.
ANY MESSAGE FROM YOU TO CORRECT THE RECORD BEFORE HE LEAVES FOR
COPENHAGEN?
.1 SAID THERE COULD BE NU GROUND FOR DOUBTING OUR SUPPORT
FOR THE EC 'NOR DID WE OBJECT TO THE NINE MEETING. WHAT WE HOPED
To AVOID' HOWEVER, ? WAS BEING FACED WITH A l!FAIT ACCOMPLI' , A ?JOINT
POSITION OF THE NINE ON THE DECLARATION ON WHICH WE WOULD NnT BE..
?ABLE TO EXCHANGE IDEAS UNTIL IT WAS TOO LATE BECAUSE THE EC POSITION
WOULD HAVE HARDENED AND No ONE ON THEIR SIDE WOULD BE AUTH0RIZED ?
To CARRY ON A BROAD AND?GENERAL DISCUSSION OF POSSIBLE CHANGES.
JOBERT DENIED WE COULD BE PRESENTED. WITH A LFAIT ACCOMPLI, IMPLY-, ?
ING THAT AFTER THE NINE REACHED ./4 COMMON POSITION IT COULD ?CERTAINLY.
BE DISCUSSED WITH .US, THE QUESTION HOW SUCH DISCUSSION WOULD BE CAR-
RIED OUT HE SAID WAS PREMATURE: IT WOULD BE ADDRESSED IN CnpENHAGEN.?
JOBERT SAID HE PORES/4w CLEARLY HOW THIS PROCESS WOULD
SINCE. WE WANTED' A PAPER (I.E. A WRITTEN DECLARATION OF PRINCIPLES),?
THERE. WOULD BE A PAPER TO WHICH EVERYONE, WE AND .THE EUROPEANS/
COULD AGREE. ? HE RECOGNIZED THAT WE WOULD PREFER A PAPER WITH. ?
SOME SUBSTANCE IN IT BUT IMPLIED THAT HE THOUGHT WE WOULD SETTLE FOR
THE PAPER FOR ITS OWN. SAKE', THE NINE DID NoT PARTICUALARLy LIKE THE
DRAFT DECLARATION WE HAD CIRCULATED' JOBERT SAID,- WHICH HE REFERRED.'
TD AS ?THE?llSoNNENFELD PAPER.". HE SAID THE FRENCH WOULD PREER
? TWO PAPERS,. ONE FOR THE NINE AND ANOTHER FOR THE FIFTEEN COUNTRIES
OF THE ATLANTIC ALLIANCE. THIS WOULD HELP To GET AWAY FROM THE ?
?upACKAGE ASPECT 'OF A SINGLE PAPER WHICH THE FRENCH Do NOT
LIKE.' IF THERE WERE ONLY.0NE PAPER, IT WOULD .HAVE TO BE ? ?
WITH THE FIFTEEN, JOBERT SAID/ OR POSSIBLY THE FIFTEEN PLUS' ONE.
THIS WOULD PROVE THAT' THE NINE COULD NOT AGREE ON A PAPER, WHICH
WOULD BE A PITY/ THOUGH NOT A EARTH-SHAKING .CATASTROPHE. ? HE
SPOKE OF AN UNCERTAINTY AS TO OUR VIEWS AS TO WHETHER THE?DECLARAT1 N
SHOULD BE WITH THE NINE, THE FIFTEEN, THE FIFTEEN PLUS. ONE OR SOME
OTHER COMBINATION.
JOBERT HOPES ENOUGH PRoGRESS.WILL BE MADE IN COPENHAGEN
So. THAT YOU AND HE CAN HAVE A USEFUL MEETING WHEN HE COMES TO
NEW 'YORK FOR THE UNGA THE WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 24. 1 SAID I THOUGHT
YOU WERE PLANNING TO BE IN NEW YORK FOR AT LEAST A FRIEF TimE?ANDTHAT?
1?WAS SURE. YOU WOULD LIKE TO MEET WITH HIM EITHER THERE OR fN ??
WASHINGTON.
?? ? IN SPITE OF JOBERTIS VIEW THAT THE LAUcHING OF THE YEAR
? OP EUROPE IDEA TOOK PLACE WITHOUT SUFFICIENT PRIOR CONSULTATION OR ?
WARNING TO OUR EUROPEAN ALLIES/ HE? SAYS HE IS. NOT TRYING ToFIGHT- ?
THE PAST THAT HE WELCOMES BILATERIAL TALKS WITH YOU. AT ANY TIME, AND
THAT HE. WILL DO WHAT HE CAN TO HELP REACH ACCEPTABLE SOLUTInNS FOR THE
DECLARATION OF PRINCIPLES AND THE PRESIDENT1S-TRIP. HE RECOGNIZES
THAT CONTINUING BILATERAL CONTACTS BETWEEN THE US AND ITS EUROPEAN
ALLIES ARE THE ESSENCE OF DIPLOMATIC LIFE HIS. EFFORTS TO PROTECT?THAT
? GROy4ING PERSONALITY OF THE NINE ARE NOT INTENDED TO. PRECLUDE SUCH
BILATERAL 'CONTACTS.
Am 'SENDING A SNAITIzED VERSION OF THIS MESSAGE THROUGH
RECALLED
psWi022572 PAGE 02
TOR:250/21:14Z 0TG:071908Z SEP 73
SECRET *******S CODy
No Objection to Declassification in Part 2012/09/25: LOC-HAK-139-6-11-9
No Objection to Declassification in Part 2012/09/25: LOC-HAK-139-6-11-9
SECRET *******S CODY
NoRAL CHANNELS TO INFORM 0THERs IN THE DEPARTMENT AND APPRFIPRIATE
AMBASSADORS OF GIST OF JOBERT'S POSITION,
ALL GOOD WISHES FOR YOUR CONFIRMATION HEARINGS AND WA.REST
REGARDS, IRWIN
SECRETEYES ONLY
BT
:.c22572
RECALLED
PAGE 03 O 03 TOR : 250/21 DTG:071908Z SEP 73
No Objection to Declassification in Part 2012/09/25: LOC-HAK-139-6-11-9