75. Memorandum of a Conference With the President, White House, Washington, February 8, I9601
OTHERS PRESENT
- Secretary Herter
- General Goodpaster
[Here follows discussion of unrelated subjects.]
The President next referred to his South American trip. He said he knew it would be a good will trip, but he wanted to know what he should plan to talk about as regards substantive things. Mr. Herter said one problem is that Brazil and Argentina have been following diametrically opposed economic schemes. Brazil has not met the IMF requirements, whereas Argentina has. There are two great things in Brazil— one is Brasilia into which Kubitschek has put a great deal of money, and the second is Operation Pan America, which is his pet proposal. The President recalled that Ayub 2 had told him that he was spending much less money on Rawalpindi than Kubitschek is spending on Brasilia; in fact, he is limiting the expenditures to $12 million a year. The city will build slowly so that Pakistan does not wreck itself. Mr. Herter cited as indicative of Brazil’s problem a conversation he had had [1 line of source text not declassified]. They have a range with something over 100,000 head of cattle on it occupying an area larger than the state of Georgia. Such diversity between the rich and the poor creates terrible tensions.
[Here follows discussion of atomic weapons and U.S. disarmament policy.]
Brigadier General, USA