I -DE'PARTMENT OF Washington D C TE 2052u Feb 14 1968 TO Mr Leddy Dave McKillop has not yet tried to sell the attached talking points to DOD He wants to have language you have approved before he starts the process Dave hopes to be able to meet with you on this matter when you have had a chance to read the papers The group would include those who are shown as having cleared these papers has The Danish Ambassador arrived back in Washington While he has not been heard from Dave expects that he will shortly request a meeting to discuss this matter faJ RMBeaudry € P e J ' - W p p - ·-n1n - c Aliffi mY- - • -· · OPTIONAL FORM NO 10 MAY 19S2 EDITION GSA FPMR 41 CFR 101-11 0 UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT Memorandum T OP SECRET TEPbf IFAi ii1191l µ EM C f e1a1n class'n O Change to S GC cl9f EUR - Mr Leddy TO • -i EUR SCAN - David H FROM _ Declassify with con_c V Jlg of _ _ _ __ EO 12958 25X J UJ l 'I J I J K k Date I 015 o 9 ' K IJAtvc s o FN LTGJ i i ' fJ '11-1 G l 'ClrH C r PCtHDR Y llfvTI L -PI NtJH W11tldra SUBJECT Talking Points - Anticipated Da · sh Request ror As surances re Nuclear Overflights and Stor ge in Greenland - ACTION MEMORANDUM DISCUSSION 1 In view of our earlier conversations with the Danes and in view of the resolution passed February 8 by the Danish Parliament Paragraph 1 attached Talking Points we expect Ambassador Re5nne to seek an appointment in the Department of State in order to request assurances that the US is acting in accord with Danish nucl ear policy in Greenland They will probably request either a public USG statement or'an exchange 1g e of notes between the two governments 2 We believe that some formal USG assurance is necessary in order to maintain our present defense capability in Greenland We wish to avoid taking a stance so rigid as to cause the Danes to question the desirability of retaining the 1951 Agreement on the Defense of Greenlando The Danes have not raised this point and probably do not now i ntend to Howeve r we believe that both State and Defense should keep in mind the fact that the Danes do hold the strongest cards in any bargaining sessions 3 Danish nuclear policy encompasses one basic ambig uity i e on the one hand they wish to demonstrate that al l Danish territory is free of nuclear weapons on the other hand they realize that Denmark's security ultimately depends on the US nuclear deterrent Jfa 4 We believe that the attached statement Talking Point meets this situation It provides a nuclear free Greenland at present and allows the GOD to make a policy decision in time of grave danger to allow nuclear deployment and o r overflights S Both we a nd the Danes realize that a situation might conceivably a rise where there would be no time for consultations before initiating overflights or deployment We believe that T OP - DECLAS D Authority N W' Q2 S E C R E T ry U S Savings Bonds Regularly on the Payroll Savings Plan I SECRET T OP - 2 - this contingency can best be handled by an oral statement such as the Undersecretary made to Ambassador Rinne on February 2 At that time the Undersecretary said that it was difficult to conceive circumstances where we would initiate nuclear storage or overflights in Greenland without consulting the GOD unl ess conditions were so extreme that reasons for such actions would be readily apparent 6 We hope to have an agreed State-Defense position prior to our discussions with Rinne We would like to tell DOD that the attached talking points reflect a bureau l evel decision on this matter RECOMMENDATION That you approve the attached talking points as the EUR position on the question of nucle a r overflights and storage in Greenland Approve Disapprove Attachme n t Talking Points Clearances EUR SCAN - Mr M G PM - Mr Tripp L EUR - Mr Berla EUR RPM - Mr Baker EUR SCAN EKl 2 13 68 nov mbw T OP DEC D Authority N Q5 SECRET Clearances EUR SCAN - Mr G PM - Mr Tripp v--r L EUR - Mr Berl EUR RPM - Mr Ba EUR SCAN EKle tnov mbw 2 13 68 DECLASm A uthority N 5 Q ' I J I I I TOP Sli CRET EXI JS Talking Points for Assurances re Nuelear Overflights Danish Beq tatorage in Greenland Th Danish Parliament on February 8 passed a - ff 1 • 'ii -· a tdmous z eselution stating that Inasmuch as 'rteat ' Y · n t resu me s that the Government _in attempting abso1ute guarantees that no nuclear weapons t_c 0 iii ·Greenland and that Greenland air space is np td n •as· a -or1e free of atomic _weapons will make certain that ·-nanii lh at0mie policy will be maintained in all parts of the realm and Danish sovereignty will be respected the house oontinues its debate on the proposed budget bill for the fiscal year 1968-69 Parli t red 2 The USG is prepared to givre the Danish Government assurance on a confidential basis that we will not stGre nuolear weapons in Greenland or everfly Ckeenland with aircraft carrying nuclear weapons except as a result of a joint Danish-US decision that such storage or verflights were necessitated by a threat to Free World security 3 As Unde secretary Katzenbach indicated it must recognized that in circumstances of extreme emergency the situation may not permit advance consultation be 4 In our view such a statement would meet the current needs of the Danish Government and preclude a stronger stand on their part that could call into ques• tion the entire 1951 Agreement on the Defense of Greenland S • under the circums1 anoes we would suggest that the Danish Government might wish to make a statement along the foll ing lines On the basis of recent discussions with the USG the G vermnent is satisfied that United States aotivities in oraenland are and ili continue to be in accord with Danish nuclear policies 6 As the Atnl assador is aw e the USO cannot publicly confirm a nr statement on the deployment of its nuclear weapons which may be made by the Danish Government nor can it agree to make public any assurance it has given• to the Danish Govei-nmento f · _ - 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