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NATO WOULD NEED TO BECOME MORE POLITICAL WHILE RETAINING ITS MIX OF NUCLEAR AND CONVENTIONAL DETERRENCE. WE NEEDED TO DO SOME FAST THINKING. WITHOUT THE RIGHT FRAMEWORK, THERE WAS A DANGER OF FREE-FALL. THERE WAS A LIMIT TO THE DEGREE TO WHICH WE COULD INFLUENCE EVENTS BUT WE NEEDED TO TRY TO DECIDE WHAT WAS ESSENTIAL AND WHAT COULD BE CHANGED. CANADA WAS AN IMPORTANT PART OF THAT PROCESS.
10.
MACDONALD SAID THAT CANADA HAD THE IMPRESSION THAT THE SOVIET UNION MIGHT ACCEPT A NATO PRESENCE IN GERMANY AFTER UNIFICATION, BECAUSE THEY WISHED TO SEE GERMANY LOCKED INTO NATO. THE SECRETARY OF STATE EXPECTED THE OLD PROPAGANDA LINE TO BE CHURNED OUT FOR SOME TIME BUT HE THOUGHT THE SOVIET UNION WOULD WANT THE US TO REMAIN. WE COULD NOT ASSUME THAT ALL WOULD GO SMOOTHLY. THERE HAD BEEN A SALUTARY MOMENT DURING HIS RECENT CALLS ON CAPITOL HILL. A REPORT OF GORBACHEV'S RESIGNATION HAD ARRIVED AS HE WAS TALKING WITH SENATORS. THE NEWS HAD CAUSED A GOOD DEAL OF CONSTERNATION. IT ILLUSTRATED A POINT WE HAD BEEN TRYING TO MAKE TO THE AMERICANS. WE COULD NOT TAKE THINGS FOR GRANTED. WE NEEDED TO PAUSE AND TAKE ACCOUNT OF THE POSSIBILITY THAT THE WORST COULD HAPPEN. MACDONALD REITERATED THAT THERE WAS NOT GREAT PRESSURE BUILDING UP IN CANADA FOR WITHDRAWING CANADIAN FORCES FROM EUROPE. IT WAS MUCH LESS THAN IN THE UNITED STATES. HOWEVER HE COULD NOT RULE OUT THAT THE CURRENT EFFORT AT BUDGET TRIMMING MIGHT NOT CREATE SUCH PRESSURES.
OPEN SKIES CONFERENCE
11.
THANKING THE SECRETARY OF STATE, MACDONALD RECALLED THAT CANADA REGARDED THE CONFERENCE ALSO AS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR TALKS BETWEEN THE WESTERN PARTNERS AND WITH SHEVADNARZE. THE SECRETARY OF STATE AGREED THAT IT WAS EXTREMELY TIMELY. THE MEETING ENDED WITH AN INCONCLUSIVE DISCUSSION ABOUT THE OPENING EVENING OF THE CONFERENCE AND THE SECRETARY OF STATE'S TRAVEL PLANS.
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