175. Memorandum From Secretary of State Rogers to President Nixon1 2
MEMORANDUM FOR THE PRESIDENT-Evening Report
1. Narcotics Legislation-U.S. Ambassador to Turkey William J. Handley, along with John E. Ingersoll, Director of the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs (Department of Justice), met with Chairman Farbstein (Subcommittee on Europe, House Foreign Affairs Committee) and Congressman Peter Rodino to discuss Rodino’s bill which would give the President discretionary authority to cut off AID funds to any country failing to take appropriate steps to control the flow of illicit narcotics into the United States.
Ambassador Handley urged that Chairman Farbstein refrain from holding public hearings on this bill on the grounds that the reaction in Turkey would inhibit rather than encourage the Turkish Govermment in enacting pending narcotics control legislation. Rodino made it clear that he considered it his duty to press forward with his bill regardless of the effect it might have on the Turkish domestic political scene. Chairman Farbstein, however, agreed to postpone public hearings on the bill until Ingersoll could report back to him concerning the progress the Turkish Government is making in controlling illicit narcotics traffic subsequent to Ingersoll’s forthcoming visit to Turkey for this purpose. Farbstein concluded the meeting by assuring Ingersoll and Ambassador Handley that unless Ingersoll returned with convincing evidence that the Turkish Government is making progress in this endeavor, he would begin public hearings on the bill.
[Omitted here is a paragraph unrelated to Narcotics]
[Page 1]- Source: National Archives, RG 59, President’s Evening Reading: Lot 74 D 164. Secret.↩
- Rogers reported that Ambassador Handley met with Congressional leaders to discuss proposed legislation that would allow the President to cut off AID funds to any country that failed to cooperate fully on narcotics control.↩