Letter recounting a meeting between the Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs and the British Foreign Secretary regarding NATO’s weapons development. Nuclear weapons should never be employed unless absolutely necessary and instead serve as an intimidation tactic to deter Soviet aggression. The necessity of increasing NATO’s arsenal of conventional weapons to match that of the Soviets was also stressed.

Letter from the Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs analyzing President Kennedy’s State of the Union Address. Despite stating his commitment to cooperating with NATO, the minister suspects that Kennedy has other priorities. The letter suggests that if the Kennedy expresses hesitancy in creating a nuclear force, European nations including Italy will move forward with or without American support.

This document summarizes Ambassador Nitze's speech on the issue of security and disarmament, and provides a rather detailed description of current U.S. position vis-à-vis the USSR in the field of disarmament and global security.

A comprehensive analysis of the Soviet position in the upcoming disarmament negotiations regarding SDI, FNI, MBFR, and chemical weapons. Overall, there seems to be increased willingness on the Soviet side to free up economic resources from military sector.

The document briefly describes the US and Soviet views on the question of SRINF reductions, and discusses the German concerns about the process.

A brief report by US Ambassador Glitman regarding the INF negotiations with the USSR. There is an increased willingness to negotiate, and the parties have come closer in some aspects, but major differences still persist.

Nitze's brief commentary on the developments in the recent negotiations with the USSR regarding arms reductions.

The document describes the propositions put forth by Soviet negotiators during the Geneva talks, and offers a preliminary analysis of the positive and the negative implications. The developments are not sufficient to expect an accord in the short term, but show a promising move away from "a dialogue of the deaf".

A detailed evaluation of Soviet negotiation position vis-à-vis USA and Europe suggests that Moscow's willingness to agree on reductions and limitations does not meet Western needs. Gorbachev's doctrine seems to be in line with his predecessors, although increasing attention has been directed at Europe.

The 1978 fall sessions of the Eurogroup and the Defense Planning Committee discussed the Alliance's reaction to new nuclear capabilities of the Soviet Union and conventional build up of the Warsaw Pact. Even though the NATO states acknowledge that the Soviet Union will not be able to maintain its current efforts due to its economic problems, 1980s are seen as posing risks to the current peace.