Word: gromyko
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Never had hopes for a SALT II agreement been higher. Success seemed so imminent at the pre-Christmas conference in Geneva that two key members of the U.S. delegation flew home for the holidays, Soviet Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko announced plans to depart for Moscow, and arrangements were made for reporters to be briefed extensively in the U.S. on the details of the new arms control treaty. In Washington, the White House alerted the TV networks that President Carter might be making a major statement that they would want to broadcast live. There was speculation a similar statement would...
Wishful thinking. Gromyko had to delay his departure, the special press briefing was not called, and Washington and Moscow never issued their synchronized statements. Instead, Vance and Gromyko faced dozens of reporters and cameramen on the patio in front of the U.S. mission and admitted that success had eluded them again. Said Gromyko: "A lot of work has indeed been done, but there is still some work to be done." Explained Vance: "We will continue to work on those questions ... through our regular diplomatic channels...
...Vance headed for Geneva last week, there were signs that after six years of talks, SALT II was finally within reach. The Secretary seemed especially relaxed on the plane. During the first day's talks, after reading their formal statements, Vance and Gromyko engaged in some serious trading, indicating that both had been given substantial leeway to strike a bargain. Later, after telephoning a brief progress report to Carter, a tired Vance acknowledged that the number of outstanding questions had been narrowed. Still, he cautioned, "We have some issues yet to be resolved. Some are difficult...
...problems facing Vance and Gromyko last week perhaps the most difficult was one touching on a crucial aspect of arms control: SALT I's guarantee that neither side would interfere with the other's attempts to check, by electronic means or spy satellites, on whether there has been cheating. In Pacific Ocean tests last July, Moscow used a complex code to hide the data beamed from its warheads to Soviet listening stations. The purpose might have been to prevent the U.S. from fully monitoring the tests. Vance undoubtedly argued last week that SALT implicitly prohibits such coding...
After the morning session on their final day of talks in Geneva, Vance and Gromyko emerged looking grim and discouraged. Then they resumed negotiations for another four hours later in the day. When they came out, their mood had dramatically changed for the better. Relaxed and smiling, they said they had made enough progress not to have to meet again. They acknowledged that some substantive matters as well as certain details still had to be resolved, but these could be handled by the SALT negotiating teams...