Foreign Relations of the United States, 1969–1976, Volume E–11, Part 1, Documents on Mexico; Central America; and the Caribbean, 1973–1976

21. Memorandum for the President’s File¹

Washington, August 9, 1974, 5:30 p.m.

SUBJECT

• Meeting with Latin American Ambassadors on Friday, August 9, 1974, at 5:30 p.m., in the Roosevelt Room, The White House

PARTICIPANTS

• President Ford
• Secretary Kissinger
• Assistant Secretary Kubisch
• Ambassador Bowdler
• Stephen Low
• Western Hemisphere Ambassadors (see attached list)

Secretary Kissinger: Ladies and Gentlemen: I asked you to come to the White House this afternoon because the President wanted an opportunity to meet with you briefly on the occasion of his assumption of office. He asked me to tell you first that the basic lines of our foreign policy will be continued. The lines followed by President Nixon’s Administration will be carried out under President Ford.

During the last year we gave particular attention to our relations in the hemisphere. This found expression in the Foreign Ministers’ conferences and in greater concern with hemispheric relations across the board. We increased our consultations but we still have a long way to go. There are major problems needing to be settled. This increased concern will be continued and may even be intensified. The general approach will continue. We hope to work together in the same spirit towards the realization of the objectives we sought and the implementation of the plans we initiated. We expect to have strong congressional support. We are in a much better position now than has been the case in the recent past. Our policy will continue to be a bipartisan one and we expect wide public support. We wanted to tell you this personally, although letters have been written to all of your governments. We want to continue to cooperate closely with you.

Your governments should know that business continues as usual here. Our foreign policy is being conducted in a firm manner. We look forward to the Foreign Ministers’ meeting in Argentina next March. I myself still hope to take a trip to Latin America before then but I am not sure when. Then we will have a lunch or dinner with the Foreign Ministers at the UN. Do you have any questions?

Ambassador Luisi: On behalf of my colleagues I want to extend to you, Mr. Secretary, our very sincere, good wishes for future success. We are very pleased at your reappointment and congratulate you.

Secretary Kissinger: There have been an extraordinary number of governmental changes in the last year. In the Western World practically every major Western European country has changed its government. In Latin America, Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela . . .

[To Assistant Secretary Kubisch] Jack, if you can arrange a date so that all the foreign ministers could be in New York at the same time, it would be a good idea.

Assistant Secretary Kubisch: That’s a good idea. I will see what I can do. Brazil makes the first speech.

Secretary Kissinger: Perhaps the following week. Find out when the foreign ministers will be there.

Ambassador Araujo Castro: The last week in September and the beginning of October is probably the best time.

Ambassador Orfila: Ours is September 24.

Secretary Kissinger: Last year it was the day before the Middle East war broke out.

I would like to visit Latin America before the foreign ministers’ meeting.

Ambassador Orfila: Are you going ahead with your plans?

Secretary Kissinger: I hope so but now my schedule is more uncertain. I will have to spend more time here.

[The Secretary then discussed briefly the provisions of the 25th Amendment.]

[President Ford entered and pictures were taken.]

Secretary Kissinger: Mr. President, I told our Western Hemisphere friends that at your instruction, they had been invited here so that you could meet with them briefly. I said that our foreign policy continues along the lines with which they are familiar. Particularly I reaffirmed the initiative begun last year to reinvigorate our relations in this hemisphere in the form of the dialogue which we started in Mexico and carried on in Washington. In the meantime two subgroups are meeting on the problems which we identified. We have started a new spirit of dialogue in the Western Hemisphere.

President Ford: Thank you very much, Henry. I would like to reiterate what the Secretary has said. I want to reassure you that in this Administration we will not be so preoccupied with other matters that we cannot take time for an expanded dialogue with our friends in the Western Hemisphere. We can all cooperate; all work together; all be beneficiaries. The initiatives we took in Mexico City in February have been extremely successful. They were very well received in the United States. The second meeting in Washington was highly beneficial in broadening, deepening and expanding our relations with one another. I am sure that the meeting in Argentina will be another long step of mutual benefit to all of us in the Western Hemisphere. I will work closely with the Secretary in this sense. The Secretary’s relationship with me is of the closest kind. I have the highest respect and regard for him. Our relationship has extended over fifteen years. I am looking forward to working with him, and through him, with you.

I have visited a number of your countries and hope to visit more. But how my plans will work out is difficult to forecast. Wherever I have gone I have enjoyed warm hospitality. I have met with your people and with some of your governments. I hope there will be opportunities which can be made available in the future for travel.

Ambassador Luisi: On behalf of my colleagues I can say that we are fully aware of your distinguished career. We would like to take the occasion to extend our very best wishes to you so that your great nation will continue in its role of leadership in the search for peace.

President Ford: We are going to work hard for peace. I thank you.

[President left.]

Secretary Kissinger: We will be meeting together on various matters. I want to say again that our objective of strengthening relations is not an idle effort. We will do whatever is possible. We would appreciate your suggestions and your ideas however they may come, whether individually or collectively. Thank you for coming.

[Omitted here is a list of the 23 Latin American Ambassadors in attendance at the August 9 meeting.]

1. Summary: In a meeting with Latin American Ambassadors on the day he took office, President Ford assured representatives of the region that his administration would continue an expanded dialogue with the countries in the Western Hemisphere.

   Source: Ford Library, National Security Adviser, NSC Latin American Affairs Staff Files, Box 12, President Ford—Memcon, August 12, 1974—Latin American Ambassadors. Confidential. Transmitted to Kissinger under an August 10 memorandum from Low. Kissinger did not sign the memorandum. All brackets are in the original except those indicating text omitted by the editors. President Nixon resigned on August 8.