Foreign Relations of the United States, 1969–1976, Volume E–3, Documents on Global Issues, 1973–1976

259. Memorandum of Conversation¹ ²

Washington, June 1, 1976

SUBJECT

• The Secretary’s Trip in June, 1976 to the OASGA in Santiago, Chile

PARTICIPANTS:

• Secretary Kissinger
• Under Secretary for Economic Affairs Designate William D. Rogers
• Assistant Secretary for Inter-American Affairs Designate Harry Shlaudeman
• Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs William H. Luers
• Director, S/P, Winston Lord
• S/P - Luigi Einaudi
• S/P - M. Charles Hill
• S - Richard W. Aherne
• NSC-IG/ARA—J. H. Glenn (Notetaker)

[Omitted here is material unrelated to human rights policy.]

Human rights make me love the State Department. Am I supposed to make a revolution in Chile? I can’t say what you want me to. I can’t launch a broad scale attack on Chile. I am willing to make a general statement on human rights in the Western Hemisphere.

Luers: The basic question is: how do you address the Inter-American Human Rights Commission report, in the context of which Chile arises?

Kissinger: Do we want a separate Human Rights Commission for each country? The Southerners would blast me.

Lord: But the Southern primaries are over.

Kissinger: This human rights statement is ridiculous. Are we willing to set a commission up to report to the OAS? Senator Allen would filibuster it. Would Argentina set one up?

Shlaudeman: Sure, a controlled one.

Luers: Only the democracies would have problems.

Kissinger: Why is it that only now when terrorists are being killed is action being proposed? What about earlier when the terrorists were doing the killing? Why wasn’t there any action then? What I want is a general statement along the lines of what I said in Colombia and Costa Rica; at the end, mention Chile in a less self-righteous manner. Take out the hairbrained schemes like country commissions.

Shlaudeman: What about regular, 4 year visits?

Kissinger: O.K.

[Omitted here is material unrelated to human rights policy.]

1. Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy Files, P820118–1524. Secret; Nodis. Drafted by Glenn. Kissinger’s Santiago statement on human rights is published in the Department of State Bulletin, July 5, 1976, pp. 1–5.
2. In reviewing a draft speech for delivery at the Organization of American States General Assembly in Santiago, Kissinger ordered changes in the sections dealing with human rights.