122. Transcript of a Telephone Conversation Between the Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs (Johnson) and the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger)1
K: I am leaving—you will be delighted to know.2
J: When, now?
K: In another hour or so. I wanted to touch some bases with you. On the situation we were discussing yesterday afternoon—not the one in which our guidance was so scrupulously followed—the other one. I think he [Korry] has flipped his lid!
J: I am thoroughly baffled. Charlie [Meyer] is coming back in the morning. Tom Karamessines’ man is coming in tomorrow afternoon. I want to get together with him.
K: The only immediate action that I remember is to try to get them to turn off water in some places.
J: That doesn’t change anything. I looked into the question of aid. We are doing nothing new. We have projects in course down there. Almost all of the disbursements are obligated—we are not obligating anything new. Most are to American companies.
K: How about the MAP program?
J: There is not anything—$500,000. I get it—trying to read all that stuff—what he is saying is that he just doesn’t see any mileage in trying [Page 312] to frustrate . . . now he is talking about how we make trouble for him [Allende] once he gets in.
K: I know nothing about it. Why don’t we at least see what we can do about cutting off those water funds? I mean these international institutions.
J: I am told they are making no loans. He goes up and down. One day he wants to make a big settlement and the next day he wants them to go on strike.
K: Can you sort of take over the 40 Committee while I am gone?
J: Let’s say I will do my best on it.
K: I will have Haig sit in for me. If you can have one or two meetings to say that something is reasonably being done.
[Omitted here is discussion unrelated to Chile.]
- Source: Library of Congress, Manuscript Division, Kissinger Papers, Box 364, Telephone Conversations, Chronological File. No classification marking.↩
- Kissinger traveled to Paris to talk with South Vietnamese President Thieu and Vice President Ky and to have a secret meeting with North Vietnamese negotiator Xuan Thuy.↩