Introduction

On the afternoon of October 23, hours after his return from an urgent trip to Moscow, Secretary of State Henry Kissinger convened the team that was handling the ongoing crisis of the Yom Kippur War. Kissinger surveyed the course of the conflict—mostly from the diplomatic perspective, with an occasional look at the military side, highlighted the American strategy that had been worked out following the renewal of active combat in the Middle East, and reviewed the achievements registered by the United States against a list of the objectives it had defined for itself. He also updated those present on the agreements reached with the Soviets about the cease-fire that was supposed to lead into a diplomatic process when the shooting stopped.