Glassboro Summit Conference

at then Glassboro State College, site of the summit meetings. With the United States gradually losing ground in the Vietnam War, the administration was looking for other solutions to the conflict. On 5 June 1967 the Six-Day War began between Israel and the Arab states. The war led to an increase in Soviet-US diplomatic contact and cooperation; there were some who hoped this could continue to help the US solve the Vietnam War and other pressing international issues. On 10 June 1967, Premier Alexei Kosygin wrote a letter to contact President Lyndon B. Johnson. The "hot line" message arrived at the White House to seek communication between the United States and the Soviet Union. Alexei Kosygin gives a quick explanation of what the Soviet Union and United States should do in regards to the Middle Eastern Crisis. In the message Alexei Kosygin writes: Several days later the Soviet Union sent Premier Alexei Kosygin to New York City to deliver a speech on the then-ongoing Middle Eastern crisis at the United Nations headquarters. When the United States government was informed of this the Americans gladly welcomed Kosygin to a meeting between him and President Lyndon B. Johnson. On 13 June 1967 Johnson sought out J. William Fulbright, a Senator, at a White House reception. Llewellyn Thompson, then US ambassador to the USSR, believed that a conference could "start the process of moving toward an understanding with the Soviets". Fulbright even believed that Johnson was reconsidering his Vietnam strategy. Later Fulbright wrote two letters to Johnson about the importance of a summit between the two nations. Johnson agreed, and wrote a letter in return, which said they were waiting for a Soviet response for US invitation. Walt Rostow, the National Security Advisor at the time, said it was a 20 percent chance of the summit having a good effect on Soviet–US relations, and only a 10 percent chance of the summit going awry. The Soviet Political Bureau (Politburo) were divided over the usefulness of the summit. Andrei Gromyko, the Minister of Foreign Affairs at the time and still not a member of the Politburo, was able to win support for it. Gromyko noted that Soviet-US dialogue which had been suspended in 1963 should be reactivated, despite the Vietnam War putting a great deal strain on the two countries' relations. Kosygin had agreed to address the United Nations and as such, wished to conduct the summit in New York. Johnson, wary of encountering protesters against the war in Vietnam, preferred to meet in Washington, D.C. Roughly equidistant, Hollybush, the residence of the President of Glassboro State College (now Rowan University) in Glassboro, New Jersey was selected as a compromise. ==The summit==

Vietnam War with U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson at the summit. In their first meeting, held on 23 June 1967, only four people were present: Alexei Kosygin and Lyndon B. Johnson and their respective interpreters. The main subjects discussed between the two were the ongoing crisis in the Middle East and the Soviet-US arms race. Towards the end of the meeting, Johnson said he was willing to discuss a peace settlement to the war in Vietnam: meaning to divide the country in half, one part to be communist and another part to be capitalist. He assured Kosygin that the only reason for American bombing in North Vietnam was North Vietnamese intervention into South Vietnam. Johnson offered to supervise the democratic elections in South Vietnam in the aftermath of the war. Kosygin responded by returning to the original subject: the crisis in the Middle East. During their afternoon meeting, Kosygin told Johnson that he was recently in contact with Phạm Văn Đồng, the Prime Minister of North Vietnam, and that they had discussed the possibilities of putting an end to the war. The North Vietnamese reply came during Kosygin's lunch with Johnson. Kosygin compared the Vietnam War to the Algerian War which had ended when Charles de Gaulle's France signed a peace treaty signifying the end of French colonisation of Algeria; he believed a similar result would happen for the United States if the war continued. He also made it very clear that the North Vietnamese would not give up their goal of a unified communist Vietnam too easily. Johnson was worried about a North Vietnamese betrayal, saying he would be "crucified" politically in the United States if the North Vietnamese sent their troops into South Vietnam after the United States stopped bombing them. Kosygin, relieving Johnson of his worries, said that a North Vietnamese delegation would meet anywhere in the world to discuss a peace settlement with the Americans. ==The Spirit of Glassboro==

The two world leaders met for three days, from 23 June to 25 June 1967, at Hollybush Mansion, home of the college president. Although Johnson and Kosygin failed to reach agreement on limiting anti-ballistic missile systems, the generally amicable atmosphere of the summit was referred to as the "Spirit of Glassboro". ==See also==