From the Journal of A.F. Dobrynin, 'Record of a Conversation with US Secretary of State H. Kissinger, 25 October 1973'

RECORD OF A CONVERSATION

with US Secretary of State H. Kissinger

25 October 1973

I urgently passed the following letter of reply of L. I. Brezhnev to President Nixon through Kissinger:

“Dear Mr. President,

I have received your letter, which reiterates that Israel has allegedly ceased fire. This statement is at odds with the facts - suffice it to say that at the time it was received in Moscow, Israeli aircraft were bombing Ismailia and battles were continuing in Suez, which, as is known, was not in the area of combat operations.

Taking into account the situation which has developed and acting at the request of Egyptian President Sadat, which he also addressed to you, we have already sent today, October 25, to Cairo a group of Soviet representatives numbering 70 people to monitor compliance with the Security Council decision on the Egyptian-Israeli front about a ceasefire. Inasmuch as you are now, as we understand, ready to send a group of American observers to Egypt with the same purpose, we agree to act together on this issue.

The Soviet observer group is being given instructions to enter into contact and a businesslike cooperation with the American observer group as soon as it arrives in Egypt so that they can begin to carry out their assigned duties without delay. The situation is such that action must be taken without delay.

We are ready to cooperate with the American side in taking other measures that will be dictated by the situation in order to ensure the immediate and strict implementation of the Security Council decisions of October 22 and 23 by the sides.

We express confidence that, following the dispatch of the observers, we will urgently continue our and other political measures consistent with the decision of the Security Council and the agreement reached between us in Moscow with Mr. Kissinger, who conducted negotiations on your instructions.

We expect that the United States will take truly effective steps to guarantee Israel's compliance with the decisions of the Security Council, as you, Mr. President, write about in your letter.

Sincerely,

L. Brezhnev

25 October 1973”

Kissinger expressed his clear satisfaction with our response (this was right after his press conference at which he publicly demonstrated the White House's "firm position" in the face of a "threat of unilateral action by the Soviet Union on the question of sending troops to the region of the conflict").

Kissinger further added that he would immediately inform the President about this letter, which, as he said, would undoubtedly greatly please the President.

Kissinger himself “hoped” for such a reaction from us, although “he was not completely sure of it.”

SOVIET AMBASSADOR IN THE US

(A. DOBRYNIN)