Pages 218-219 from FCO 82-1724

The document provides an account of a private review of the Reykjavik Summit, which closely aligns with Secretary Shultz's statement. It states that the main elements of the agreement reached between the US and the Soviet Union on October 11-12 include equal reductions in offensive nuclear forces, a ceiling of 1,500 warheads, an additional ceiling of 6,000 warheads to be completed within five years, and the elimination of all remaining offensive ballistic missiles within five years. However, the Russians linked the proposal to the extension of the ABM Treaty's withdrawal period from six months to ten years, leading to a deadlock. The document suggests that the negotiations were stuck on the issue of tighter arms control restrictions and permissible resistance. It also mentions that the US was willing to consider a freeze on strategic systems with subsequent reductions and verification. The document concludes that while the negotiations have not resulted in a definitive agreement, the elements of the START deal and the agreement on numbers seem to have a firmer status. It speculates that both the START deal and the President's offer to abolish all ballistic missiles within a five-year period could be revived quickly.