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

45. Memorandum From the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Scowcroft) to President Ford¹

Washington, June 5, 1976.

SUBJECT

• Secretary Kissinger’s Trip to Latin America June 6–13

Purpose

As you know, Secretary Kissinger will visit Latin America June 6–13 to participate in the annual General Assembly of the Organization of American States in Santiago, Chile. He will visit the Dominican Republic and Bolivia on the way to the meeting and Mexico on the return. His purpose is to demonstrate the importance you attach to our relations with Latin America and to discuss bilateral and hemisphere issues. The trip will continue the momentum of his February trip toward improving our relations with Latin America. During the closed sessions of the OAS, he plans to make a number of proposals relating to trade, technology, and human rights. The OAS meeting will also provide the occasion for us and others to consider proposals for the reform of that organization.

Schedule

The following is the Secretary’s schedule:

Sunday, June 6	Washington to Dominican Republic [lunch stop] to Santa Cruz, Bolivia
Monday, June 7	Santa Cruz, Bolivia to Santiago, Chile
Tuesday, June 8 thru Wednesday, June 9	OAS General Assembly Meetings
Thursday, June 10	Santiago to Mexico City
Friday, June 11	Mexico City
Saturday, June 12	Cancun (Yucatan), Mexico
Sunday, June 13	Evening—Arrive Andrews

The focal point of the trip is the OAS General Assembly meeting in Santiago. Some of the more significant agenda items are:

Human Rights

In the human rights field the central focus will be on the report on Chile of the Inter-American Human Rights Commission (LAHRC), which is sharply critical of that country. The Secretary intends to make a forthright statement indicating our commitment to international resolutions in support of human rights and collective standards of behavior. He will propose strengthening the Inter-American machinery for assuring respect of human rights and suggest periodic visits to the member nations by the LAHRC.

OAS Reform

For the last three years a special committee of the OAS has been studying ways to modernize and reform the organization. In the process, it has drafted a new charter which would restrict our freedom of action in the economic area and is therefore unacceptable to us. The Secretary will attempt to have the draft charter referred to a study committee. Others are aware of our opposition to the draft charter and are likely to support us or propose other methods to sidetrack it.

Panama and Cuba

In 1974, the OAS General Assembly passed a resolution urging the U.S. and Panama to continue their negotiations for a new treaty governing the Canal and requesting annual progress reports. At last year’s General Assembly in Washington an innocuous joint report was submitted by the U.S. and Panama indicating that negotiations were continuing and satisfactory progress was being made. The statement was accepted by the meeting with approval. We are negotiating a similar joint report with Panama to be submitted to this Assembly in Santiago. It again states that negotiations are continuing and progress is being made but notes that significant differences remain in the areas of treaty duration and lands and waters. The report will be submitted to the Assembly by Panama and the U.S. while the Secretary is in Santiago on the 9th or 10th of June and will undoubtedly be accepted without problem.

There is a possibility that some of the Latin governments which are most concerned about the Cuban military adventure in Angola might press for a resolution condemning Cuban intervention abroad. The more democratic regimes in and around the Caribbean would almost certainly disassociate themselves from such a move. So as not to leave the U.S. all alone in the company of the right wing authoritarian group, we plan to be firm but to keep a low profile, letting the Latins take the lead on this issue.

During the course of the informal dialogue sessions, the Secretary will outline proposals in the field of cooperation for development which include the following points:

—that the OAS establish a special Inter-American commission for trade cooperation;

—that you will weigh Latin American special interests in exports when exercising your discretion under the Trade Act;

—that we add products of particular interest to Latin America to the Generalized System of Preferences List under the Trade Act;

—that we consult on various aspects of the Geneva Multilateral Trade Negotiations, including special consideration for developing countries;

—that a U.S. trade team visit Latin America shortly;

—that we apply our UNCTAD proposals specifically to Latin America;

—a set of key principles guiding the transfer of technology;

—specific programs now underway to improve Latin American access to U.S. technology.

The Santiago Visit

Because of widespread criticism of denial of human rights in Chile, the U.S. had abstained when the decision was taken by the OAS to hold the General Assembly in Santiago. However, a majority of the members supported holding the meeting there in the absence of an alternative.

Only Mexico is refusing to attend. The Secretary’s visit to Santiago is being cast entirely in terms of his participation in the OAS General Assembly. Nevertheless, he has agreed to meet privately with Chilean President Pinochet during his visit to Santiago, and he accepted a luncheon invitation of the President along with a number of other foreign ministers attending the meeting. He intends to discuss our bilateral problems frankly with the Chilean President.

Dominican Republic

During the four-hour stopover in the Dominican Republic, the Secretary will lunch with President Balaguer. His visit is intended to demonstrate that we do not take good friends for granted and to indicate our interest in the Caribbean.

Bolivia

The Secretary will spend Sunday night in Bolivia and will breakfast with President Banzer on Monday morning. The stopover there will demonstrate our interest in the smaller and poorer nations of the hemisphere and our recognition of the good relations that exist between Bolivia and the U.S.

Mexico

The Mexico visit is intended to reassure that country of our interest and friendly intentions following the Secretary’s two lengthy trips to Central and South America. It will show that we do not take the important but delicate relationship with Mexico for granted. It will also provide an occasion for the Secretary to meet the unopposed Presidential candidate Jose Lopez Portillo, whose election will occur on July 4. Secretary Kissinger will assure both President Echeverria and Lopez Portillo of our continued desire to seek solutions to our bilateral problems in the narcotics and illegal immigrant areas and of our support for the economic and social development of Mexico.

Before returning to Washington, the Secretary will fly on Saturday, the 12th, to Cancun, a newly developed resort area on Mexico’s Yucatan coast, at the invitation of President Echeverria. He will return to Washington the following day.

The Secretary plans a press conference in each of the four cities he will visit. There will be two speeches in the form of toasts: the first on the way down in the Dominican Republic and the second on his return in Mexico City. The Dominican speech is intended to explain the reasons for the trip: a demonstration of the importance of Latin American relations to us; a further step in the dialogue with Latin America following on the February trip; and an opportunity to present positive programs in the fields of development, human rights, and OAS reform. The Mexico remarks on June 10 are intended to emphasize our close relationship with that country and the importance we attach to Mexico’s role in world affairs.

1. Summary: Scowcroft briefed Ford on the itinerary for Kissinger’s June 6–13 trip to Latin America and outlined the key issues in relations with the region that were likely to arise during the Secretary’s travels.

   Source: Ford Library, National Security Adviser, Trip Briefing Books and Cables for Henry A. Kissinger, 1974–1976, Kissinger Trip File, Box 25, June 6–13, 1976—Latin America, General. Sent for information. Ford initialed the memorandum, and a note reads: “The President has seen.” All brackets are in the original. Kissinger’s remarks and statements in the Dominican Republic, Bolivia, Chile, and Mexico are published in the Department of State Bulletin, July 5, 1976, pp. 1–36.