279. Summary of Decisions From Secretary of State’s Staff Meeting1

SUMMARY OF DECISIONS

The Secretary decided that:

  • p. 10–11 1. We would seek a multilateral solution to the problem of oil supply and oil pricing, but that under no circumstances will we give the Europeans or others a free hand to make bilateral deals; if they will not work multilaterally we will force them by going bilateral ourselves.
  • p. 12–13 2. The discussion in the C–20 meeting2 should be confined to the monetary implications of the energy problems, leaving to the EAG the consideration of the energy problem per se.
  • p. 19 3. The EAG and not the C–20 be the forum for discussions of energy problems, including pricing rollback, adequacy of supply transfer of resources to the LDCs.
  • p. 34 4. The Legal Advisor should collect the documents relating to OPEC negotiations, requested by the Church Committee and by the Hart Committee3 and evaluate their sensitivity if released or leaked to the public, with a view to discussing any problems with the Senators.

Thomas R. Pickering
4
Executive Secretary
  1. Source: National Archives, RG 59, Transcripts of Secretary of State Kissinger’s Staff Meetings, 1973–1977, Box 718, Secretary’s Staff Meetings 1/74–2/74. Secret. Prepared on January 14. According to an attached list, the following people attended the meeting: Kissinger, Rush, Porter, Donaldson, Parker, Katz, Pollack, Leonard Weiss, Lord, Brown, Herz, Wright, Seymour Weiss, Ikle, and Casey.
  2. The C–20 met in Rome January 17. Shultz addressed the meeting. (Telegram 677 from Rome, January 16; ibid., Central Foreign Policy Files)
  3. The Church Committee was the Subcommittee on Multinational Corporations of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee chaired by Senator Frank Church (D–Idaho). The Hart Committee was the Subcommittee on Antitrust and Monopoly of the Senate Committee on the Judiciary chaired by Senator Philip A. Hart (D–Michigan).
  4. Samuel Gannon signed for Pickering above Pickering’s typed signature.