37. Minutes of the Secretary of State’s Staff Meeting1
[Omitted here is discussion unrelated to energy.]
Mr. Boeker: The OPEC Ministers communiqué2 endorses a broad international conference on the state of the world economy, on the state of raw-materials development—which would appear to be the format we saw in the UN Special Session last April, which producers have shown they could control pretty well.
Our reaction would be that we welcome their endorsement of cooperation without commenting on this format. And we reiterate that we hope the consumers, by that time, will take the steps for that kind of a dialogue.
Secretary Kissinger: By what time? They haven’t given any time for a communiqué [conference?], have they?
[Page 122]Mr. Boeker: This year, it seems to me, by implications.
Mr. Hartman: It seems to me the Algerians have won their point on this one.
Secretary Kissinger: We can just say we’ve made our position clear. As late as Friday I said we’re in favor of a dialogue.3 Just say we’re in favor of a dialogue and we’re willing to discuss it when consumer cooperation has reached a certain point.
Mr. Hartman: But you will be asked immediately: “Are you in favor of a dialogue on all commodities?”
Secretary Kissinger: We’ll discuss that at the preparatory conference. That’s what the preparatory conference is for. It depends on whether we want to screw the meeting up or have some progress.
Mr. Boeker: Right.
Secretary Kissinger: It’s as simple as that. It’s inconceivable to have one conference and discuss that and have anything other than what the Special Session came up with. Is it conceivable to you?
Mr. Hartman: No.
Mr. Boeker: No.
Mr. Hartman: But this is the thing that he’s been pushing because he sees that if you get into a conference just on oil, there is a possibility that we can bring pressure on them via the LDCs. And so what he’s trying to do is line up the LDCs.
Secretary Kissinger: Oh, come now! The LDCs won’t bring pressure on them. That’s one of these childish naivetés.
I would be just as happy if the LDC’s didn’t come. I understand some of the producers don’t want them either. That’s one of the illusions. That’s like the Kennedy Administration used to think India would support us on Berlin. We spent a year and a half trying to get their support.
The LDCs will not support us against the producers in an open conference.
Mr. Lord: Now that we’re going to get some aid—
Secretary Kissinger: It’s out of the question. The LDCs sympathize with us—which is far from saying that they will support us. Is there one Latin American country that will support us?
Mr. Rogers: A.I.D. will keep its mouth shut! (Laughter.)
Secretary Kissinger: Name one LDC that will support us at the conference. Can anyone think of one?
[Page 123]Mr. Habib: If we promise them enough aid.
Secretary Kissinger: Which? Name one.
Mr. Habib: I think Singapore! (Laughter.)
I think Korea would, if you gave them enough assurances that there wouldn’t be a cut-off.
Secretary Kissinger: Korea won’t even be at the conference. Korea will never be invited. I mean all these—let’s not drown ourselves in platitudes. If the producers want to exclude the LDCs, we should be delighted to exclude them. There’s nothing in it for us.
I think we ought to play it cool—just say that we note it, we welcome it—but in a low-key way—and say, as I pointed out on Friday, all our policy is geared to having a consumer-producer dialogue.
On what the contents should be, we’ll discuss it at a preparatory meeting. But if you go across the whole range of economic issues, it’s going to be a long process.
Mr. Atherton: OPEC is going to have three more meetings in the summer before anything else happens.
Secretary Kissinger: That’s right. I think we should quite agree.
[Omitted here is discussion unrelated to energy.]
- Source: National Archives, RG 59, Transcripts of Secretary of State Kissinger’s Staff Meetings, Lot 78D443, Box 3, Secretary’s Staff Meetings. Secret. Kissinger presided over the meeting, which was attended by all the principal officers of the Department or their designated alternates. A table of contents and list of attendees are not printed.↩
- The OPEC conference took place in Algiers January 24–26. Although the Embassy in Algiers did not transmit the complete text of the communiqué, it reported that OPEC “agreed to what is called ‘French proposal for meeting of industrialized countries and LDCs to study problems of raw materials and development’ in order to further ‘true international cooperation’ and ‘dialogue.’” The Embassy concluded: “Believe conference results better than we had anticipated as far as interests industrialized countries concerned. For whatever reasons, conference has decided take path of relative moderation. Hope we will be able to demonstrate that moderation pays.” (Telegram 235 from Algiers, January 26; ibid., Central Foreign Policy Files, D750029–0224)↩
- January 24. Kissinger addressed the Los Angeles World Affairs Council. For the text of his speech, see Department of State Bulletin, February 17, 1975, pp. 197–204.↩