WEEKEND READING FOR THE PRESIDENT 20-21 DECEMBER 1969

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: Library of Congress
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): LOC-HAK-430-5-18-9
• Release Decision: RIFLIM
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: January 11, 2017
• Document Release Date: March 18, 2010
• Sequence Number: 18
• Publication Date: December 21, 1969
• Content Type: MISC

No Objection to Declassification in Full 2010/03/18: LOC-HAK-430-5-18-9
WEEKEND READING FOR THE PRESIDENT
20-21 December 1969
EUROPE
1. (a) "Russians Looking for Western Know-How, "
THE ECONOMIST Foreign Report, 11 Dec. 1969.
(b) "Soviets Enter West Europe's Natural Gas
Market, " CIA Weekly Sumnzaj, 19 Dec. 1969.
The Economist and the CIA both take note of recent major develop-
ments in the Soviet Union's economic relations with Western
Europe. The Soviets are eagerly expanding their sales of natural
gas' and other materials to Western Europe, in order to earn the
foreign exchar.ge and credits needed for increased Soviet purchases
of such things as heavy-diameter steel pipe from the West. The
Soviet int:eresi: in, greater technological cooperation with the West
may be one of the major incentives behind the Soviet campaign for
.a "European S: curity Conference. "
ON-FILE NSC RELEASE
INSTRUCTIONS APPLY
SINO-SOVIET CONFLICT
CIA, Office of National Estimates, "China's
Stance Toward the Soviets., " Staff Memorandum,
15 December 1969.
This interesting analytical piece discusses China's motivation in
entering .border talks with the Soviet Union. The Chinese are
aware that they.are bargaining from weakness, the analysis
suggests, and they probably see considerable advantage in pro-
longing discussion, since this reduces the likelihood of Soviet
military action against them. But the Soviets will only be
tempted to increase their pressure, and there may be some
internal division in Peking as to whether to continue the talks
or place much hope in them.
No Objection to Declassification in Full 2010/03/18: LOC-HAK-430-5-18-9
 No Objection to Declassification in Full 2010/03/18: LOC-HAK-430-5-18-9
ASIA AND THE PACIFIC
3. Edwin O. Reischauer, three articles written for
publication in the Tokyo Asahi Shh.imbun, November
1969. -- - -
The former Ambassador to Japan praises the November 21
Nixon-Sato communique as the best and only possible solution
to a problem that had "lain like a dangerous rock squarely in
the course of Japanese-American relations. " He urges the
Japanese to move toward a greater economic and political-
military role in Asia, eventually a leadership role, though
necessarily in close cooperation with the United States. He
notes that the Guam Doctrine brings U. S. policy into line with
what most Japanese would regard as a wise and desirable U. S.
posture, and that this in itself will help prompt the Japanese
to undertake new responsibilities. (A one-page summary
precedes the texts of the articles. )
4. Frank Riley, "Micronesia: The Big Lie, " Far
Eastern Economic Review, December 11, 1969.
Taken from ail influential East Asian news magazine published
in Hong Kong and generally friendly to us, this article describes
a rather disturbing development. It is an explicit attack on the
United States Government for attempting to rush Micronesia into
a permanent relationship with the U. S. The article picks up most
of the Micronesians' arguments against us: the alienation of land
to military bases, the possibility of Micronesia's being drawn
again into somebody else's war, the "zoo keeper philosophy" of
previous U. S. Administrations, and particularly the fears that we
are not going to allow the Micronesians to opt for independence.
The article is written from Honolulu, which has apparently become
something of a center of Micronesian intellectual life and indepen-
dence aspirations, primarily because it is where Micronesians are
going for their higher education.
No Objection to Declassification in Full 2010/03/18: LOC-HAK-430-5-18-9
 No Objection to Declassification in Full 2010/03/18: LOC-HAK-430-5-18-9
AMERICAN FOREIGN POLICY
5. Seyom Brown, The Great Foreign Policy Debate,
RAND Corp. paper, April 1968.
A thoughtful discussion of the breakdown of the postwar American
public consensus on foreign policy goals and premises. Until
recently, he points out, foreign policy debates always took place
within a certain basic consensus -- on our essential national
interests, on the threats to those interests, and on the basic
policies needed to counter those threats. The consensus is gone,
and no new one has yet replaced it (he wrote as of April 1968).
Our challenge, he concludes, is to fashion a compelling rationale
for our continued involvement in the world; this rationale must
move us, and draw upon Americans' sense of mission, or else
isolationism will fill the void.
No Objection to Declassification in Full 2010/03/18: LOC-HAK-430-5-18-9