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

39. Telegram 304397/Tosec 250065 From the Department of State to Secretary of State Kissinger in Ocho Rios¹

Washington, December 30, 1975, 1812Z.

304397/Tosec 250065. Subject: Angola, Cuba and Latin America. For the Secretary from Eagleburger.

1. You will recall that you asked me to get Bill Rogers’s views on a Colby proposal that we get some Latin American countries to denounce Cuban/Soviet involvement in Angola. To refresh your memory, the Colby paragraph was as follows: “Some Latin American countries, such as Bolivia, Honduras, and Uruguay, are strongly anti-Communist. It is likely that the heads of state of those countries would make public statements denouncing Cuban/Soviet involvement in Angola if the American Ambassador were to ask them to do so. If one of them did make such a statement, it would have the effect of further dramatizing Cuban involvement in Angola for the Latin American people. Therefore, consideration should be given to instructing our Ambassadors in those countries to ask the heads of state to make appropriate public statements.”

2. I asked Bill for his views on this Colby suggestion and have received the following memorandum from him. I frankly think his arguments have merit and therefore recommend we forget the Colby proposal.

3. Text of Rogers’s memo is as follows:

“I do not embrace Colby’s suggestion that we instruct our Ambassadors to Bolivia, Honduras and Uruguay to urge the Presidents of those countries to say something public about Cuban/Soviet involvement in Angola.

“A. It is helpful in such matters to define purpose precisely. I am not clear about the purpose of this one. If the purpose is to increase the pressure in Havana to withdraw, then public statements from these three countries will not serve that purpose. Honduras, Bolivia and Uruguay count for nothing in Cuba (or for very little, in the case of Bolivia).

“If the heads of state of larger and more moderate countries, such as Colombia, Venezuela, Trinidad or Mexico, said something, that would be very much to the good. But there is precious little our Ambassadors in those countries can do to push the possibility, beyond what we are doing now. We are now passing on to the Foreign Ministries of all the countries of the hemisphere the most up-to-date information we have about Cuban involvement in Angola. I would leave it there, and hope that the facts—not our official solicitation—would move some significant political personality in Latin America to speak out. This would be the best way to increase Cuba’s embarrassment in the hemisphere and thus increase it’s incentive to withdraw—if that is the purpose of the proposal.

“B. If, on the other hand the purpose of the proposal is to rally Latin American public opinion against communism, then the proposal is archaic. This is the sort of thing we were doing in the fifties, when the cold war was in its classic period. Latin America, we thought, was another of the arena for the worldwide struggle with communism. We could expect—and ask—that the nations of the hemisphere publicly denounce the Soviet Union and its satellites.

“Not so today. The modern Latin America has opted out of the cold war. The cold war has receded from Latin America.

“Brazil’s motto—that it has no automatic alignment with any power—is one expression of this. Trinidad’s abstention from all East-West votes in the UN is another. Latin America wants to concentrate on Latin American issues. We should not, as a generality, try to reenlist Latin America in a cold war.

“Furthermore, public statements from the Presidents of Bolivia, Honduras and Uruguay would hardly do much for us in terms of hemispheric public opinion on Angola. Those three heads of state are not the objects of universal hero worship. Anything they said on this issue would be discounted, and presumed to have been inspired by the U.S. in all events.”

Robinson

1. Summary: Responding to Colby’s proposal that U.S. Ambassadors encourage Latin American leaders to denounce Cuban intervention in Angola, Eagleburger transmitted Rogers’s memorandum recommending the idea be dropped, in part because Latin American nations no longer wished to be enlisted in cold war conflicts.

   Source: Ford Library, National Security Adviser, Trip Briefing Books and Cables for Henry A. Kissinger, Box 18, 12/26/75 Jamaica, Tosec 1. Secret; Cherokee; Nodis. Drafted and approved by Eagleburger. Kissinger was on vacation at Sir Harold Mitchell’s plantation in Ocho Rios, Jamaica. (“Kissingers Reach Jamaica,” New York Times, December 27, 1975, p. 18) In telegram Secto 25011, December 31, Kissinger informed the Department that no further action was required on the Colby proposal. (National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, P840083–0685)