Document Type
Article
Comments
Why Is It So Hard to Negotiate with the Russians?, 6 Pace Law Review 1 (1985)
Abstract
My assignment is to explain why it is so difficult to negotiate arms control agreements with the Soviet Union. In short, I am expected to solve Churchill's famous "riddle wrapped in an enigma" within the lecturer's standard fifty minutes—or, preferably, less. I should start with a disclaimer. One of the best of our State Department Soviet experts, Ambassador Charles Bohlen, used to say there were two classes of people he knew were lying—people who said whiskey didn't affect them, and those who claimed they knew how to negotiate with the Russians. I shall try to carry out my duty tonight with full respect for Ambassador Bohlen's admonition.
There is a vast and arcane literature on the difficulties of negotiating with the Soviet Union, and particularly on the difficulties of negotiating arms control agreements.
Date of Authorship for this Version
1985
Recommended Citation
Rostow, Eugene V., "Why Is It So Hard to Negotiate with the Russians?" (1985). Faculty Scholarship Series. 2114.
https://digitalcommons.law.yale.edu/fss_papers/2114