The subject head of the document, carried under the words, “Special Importance,†read: “Regarding Senator Kennedy’s request to the General Secretary of the Communist Party Y. V. Andropov.†According to the memo, Senator Kennedy was “very troubled†by U.S.-Soviet relations, which Kennedy attributed not to the murderous tyrant running the USSR but to President Reagan. The problem was Reagan’s “belligerence,†said the memo, and made worse by Reagan’s stubbornness. “According to Kennedy,†reported Chebrikov, “the current threat is due to the President’s refusal to engage any modification to his politics.†That refusal, said the memo, was exacerbated by Reagan’s political...
