CONFIDENTIAL
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Rome and Tel Aviv
January or February
West Africa (2 weeks)
March
?April
Australia (SEATO), Japan (Anglo-
Japanese Talks) and Hong Kong.
This programme suggests that the visit to Moscow would have to take place in either February (assuming that the Joint Commission meets in January) or perhaps in May. Mr Graham thinks that
the Secretary of State would prefer May.
4. The objection to May 1972 as the date of the Secretary
of State's visit to Moscow is that it would then take place: (a) rather later than the kind of date which the Russians
will be expecting after what the PUS said to Mr Gromyko; (b) after President Nixon's visit to Peking, end after his
visit to Moscow too if he makes one (sce Mr Rose's note of
26 July);
(c) probably too late to have any useful influence on the
Berlin talks, unless these drag on later than is at
present hoped;
(a)
a little late also for the period of rapid movement in East-West relations which might be expected to follow a
Berlin settlement.
5. These considerations suggest that May would be less
suitable than February for the visit to MosCOW. It is true
that a visit in February would fall only a month after the
meeting of the Joint Commission, but this could havo certain
advantages: it would maintain the momentum in Anglo/Soviet
relations, and would relieve the Secretary of State of the
necessity of talking to the Russians about trade and
technology, which the Joint Commission will just have covered.
**2**** COMBENDRAT AT.