391. Telegram 118884 From the Department of State to the Embassy in Venezuela1
118884. Subject: Strengthened Bilateral Relations With Venezuela. Ref: State 091364.
For Ambassador Shlaudeman
1. As you are aware, Secretary’s letter to Escovar (reftel) suggested strengthened and more effective bilateral relations. Proposal was outgrowth of prior Luers-Einaudi visit to Caracas and conversation with Foreign Vice Minister John Rafael who was left expecting that we would be back to him with specific proposals as to what forms we see an expanded and improved collaboration taking.
2. Our intention in this initiative is to probe, using the building block approach, for climate and common ground to dialogue and work out areas of cooperation. We will go half-way, even somewhat beyond, to express our interest and identification with Venezuelan aspirations. What technology or other assistance we may offer will be on basis of working at Venezuela’s side, not directing. Dialogue is a two-way street, of course, which GOV, if it buys concept of proposal will have opportunity to demonstrate.
[Page 1054]3. Our general thinking in approaching this new relationship includes following:
—In following up the Secretary’s letter and as the result of the fruitful discussions that Luers and Einaudi held during their visit to Caracas, we have concluded that there are a wide variety of areas in which the US and Venezuelan Governments can improve their collaboration.
—This collaboration could take the form of increased communications at senior levels of Government, increased consultations between our respective delegations prior to and at international meetings, bilateral cooperation between our two governments on specific projects or programs, and continuing bilateral talks between the Venezuelan Embassy and the USG and between the GOV and American Embassy in Caracas.
—The areas mentioned during the Luers-Einaudi visit as potential candidates for increased cooperation through specific projects and programs included agriculture, fertilizer production, transfer of technology, technical assistance, cultural and educational programs, and assistance to third countries. Our feeling here in Washington is that most or all of these areas could become the basis for fruitful activities, but that much previous work remains to be done to establish priorities, modalities, and availability of resources.
—Our procedural concept has been that Embassy Caracas and appropriate Venezuelan Government Ministries would initiate discussions, possibly supplemented by USG-Venezuelan Embassy talks, which could be followed by a second stage of exchange of higher-level official visits. The US proposes that these initial discussions aim at establishing an ad hoc working group between our two governments the leadership of which would be at the sub-cabinet level. The group would be given a clearly delimited period, perhaps six months, to prepare recommendations to both governments on steps that can be taken in specific areas to bring about closer collaboration and consultation.
—We do not wish to bring about exaggerated expectations on either side of what can be achieved by the working group and would not therefore press for any publicity.
—We do, however, consider that the working group could be an important means of improving communications between the US and Venezuela and of defining areas of potential cooperation.
4. FYI. The Department would expect that our side of any eventual working group would be headed at the Assistant or Deputy Assistant Secretary level with representatives from Agriculture, Treasury, USIA, AID, and possibly interior or other agencies. We also would not neces[Page 1055]sarily expect that exchanges between the various counterpart elements of the working group would take place at one time.
5. More FYI: If high level economic consultation mission of some or all of department officials Robinson, Enders, and Fishlow, now under consideration, takes place with Brazil, we [are] prepared to have one or more members visit Caracas on way to or from Brazil. In addition, IO would hope to repeat successful pre-UNGA consultations with GOV of last summer again this year. End FYI.
6. As reporting cables indicate, both the Secretary and the Deputy Secretary spoke to Escovar about this concept of a strengthened bilateral relationship. Fon Min reacted positively, said he would be seeing you soon after his May 20 return to Caracas—perhaps at luncheon—and would discuss with you formation of GOV-Embassy group to plan future relationship. This cable is intended provide you with useful background and guidance for that discussion.
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Summary: The Department informed Shlaudeman of specific ways the U.S. Government intended to improve its relations with Venezuela.
Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, D750178–0941. Confidential; Priority; Exdis. Drafted by Sonandres, Luers, and Devine; cleared by Einaui, Low, Hitchcock, Nieburg, Katz, Wood, and Einhorn; approved by Duemling. The April 4 memorandum of conversation between Luers, Einaudi, and Pérez in Caracas is ibid., P830117–1845. On April 21, Kissinger sent a letter to Escovar proposing the establishment of a mechanism for strengthening bilateral ties. (Telegram 91364 to Caracas; ibid., P850056–1619) On May 20, Escovar informed Shlaudeman that he thought agricultural development, nutrition, and fertilizer development were some of the areas the mechanism could address. (Telegram 5334 from Caracas, May 22; ibid., D750181–0133)
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