167. Transcript of the Acting Secretary of State’s Principals’ and Regionals’ Staff Meeting1

[Omitted here is discussion unrelated to Chile.]

Mr. Sisco: All right. Chile.

Mr. Kubisch: In a word, on Chile, there are really two things of interest in the last week or so. The first was that Mexico and Chile have been really at sword’s points since Allende’s overthrow. President Echeverria considered Allende to be a good friend of his. And when Allende was killed or committed suicide on September 11, Mrs. Allende was invited to come to Mexico where she stayed with President Echeverria. And the Mexican Government declared a formal three-day national mourning period. And they have had a lot of problems between the two governments. There were 71 Chileans and some other nationals in the Mexican Embassy in Santiago, as asylees, that the Chilean Government would not give safe conduct to, to leave the country. Rabasa went down a week ago and got them all out. The Mexican Government sent a plane down and got them out.

The other thing of immediate interest to us is that on Wednesday afternoon of this week, Congressman Don Fraser’s Subcommittee on International Organizations and Human Rights, and Dante Fascell’s Subcommittee on Inter-American Affairs—the two subcommittees jointly are going to have a meeting on Chile. This is the first one for some time. It was going to be held just by Fraser, and Fascell, to be helpful, got in on it, getting some Congressmen interested in the political and international relations aspect of the problem to question the witnesses, too. And they are going to question us very hard about our policy towards Chile, about human rights in Chile and the abuse thereof, the repressive nature of the regime, why we are giving economic and proposing to give military assistance to a regime that denies people their rights, etc. We have worked out answers to all the questions pretty well. We are taking the position—I saw it reflected in today’s out-date of Newsweek [Page 453] Magazine, that Newsweek said that as a result of strong but private pressures by the U.S. Government and other governments, the Chilean Government is beginning to moderate its policies and so on. We are taking the position that it isn’t very helpful to talk about these things publicly.

Mr. Sisco: I approved that paper, which talks in terms of rescheduling. I just think we ought to go ahead on that.

Mr. Kubisch: As far as the Congressional consultations are concerned, we are moving ahead with those.

[Omitted here is discussion unrelated to Chile.]

Mr. Hartman: If you have any positive facts that we can get out to the European governments on Chile, we ought to do it, because they are all up in arms on it. The British, the Dutch, the Belgians.

Mr. Kubisch: All the socialist governments in Western Europe, or those with very big socialist or communist parties in Western Europe have really been very down on Chile.

Mr. Sisco: Is this becoming another Greece, Art?

Mr. Hartman: Yes, very much. If we have anything positive to say, we ought to try to say it.

Mr. Sisco: Is there anything we can say on that?

Mr. Kubisch: To the Europeans?

Mr. Sisco: We don’t have to go out beating the bushes, but I think we ought to be able to make some facts available.

Mr. Kubisch: There are some things we can do. Whether it is wise for the United States to associate itself very closely as a defender of the Chilean regime vis-à-vis European governments is something I think that ought to be considered very carefully.

Mr. Sisco: How many European countries does Chile have relations with?

Mr. Kubisch: I think the present government has relations with about half of the West European governments.

Mr. Sisco: What about an informal suggestion, just very indirect, saying there is work to be done here and they ought to start doing it?

Mr. Kubisch: To the Chileans?

Mr. Sisco: Yes. Is that completely out of the question?

Mr. Kubisch: No. We talk to them about it all the time, in Washington and in Santiago. They just are so insensitive, it is almost impossible to believe.

Mr. Sisco: That is so characteristic of these authoritarian governments.

Mr. Kubisch: They say in effect, “Look, we have done what was right, we are honest people, we tell the truth. We are doing what is [Page 454] good for these people of Chile. We got rid of all these bandits and these criminals, and these dirty, no-good commies. And we are pure. And why in the hell can’t you all understand that?” And we say it is not that simple.

Mr. Sisco: Okay.

[Omitted here is discussion unrelated to Chile.]

  1. Summary: Sisco, Kubisch, and Hartman discussed Chile-Mexico relations, forthcoming congressional hearings on Chile, and the attitude of European nations toward the Chilean Government.

    Source: National Archives, RG 59, Transcripts of Kissinger Staff Meetings, Entry 5177, Lot 78D443, Box 3, Acting Secretary’s Principals’ and Regionals’ Staff Meetings. Kissinger chaired the meeting, which was attended by all the principal officers of the Department or their designated alternates. Secret. A draft of Shlaudeman’s June 12 testimony before Fraser and Fascell’s subcommittees is ibid., ARA Files, Miscellaneous Chile Subject Files, 1971–1976: Lot 80D43, Shlaudeman Testimony Before Fraser-Fascell Subcommittee.