Office of the Historian

328. Minutes of the Secretary of State’s Staff Meeting, Washington, March 13, 1974, 4 p.m..1 2

Washington, March 13, 1974, 4 p.m.

SECRETARY’S STAFF CONFERENCE
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 13, 1974 - 4:45 P.M.

PRESENT:

  • The Secretary of State — HENRY A. KISSINGER
  • Mr. Rush
  • Mr. Sisco
  • Mr. Brown
  • Mr. Easum
  • Mr. Bawdier
  • Mr. Ingersoll
  • Mr. Stabler
  • Mr. Davies
  • Mr. Vest
  • Mr. Lord
  • Mr. Maw
  • Mr. McCloskey
  • Mr. Hyland
  • Mr. Springsteen
[Page 2]

[Omitted is material unrelated to the Philippines.]

MR. INGERSOLL: I just want to mention the continuing insurgency in the southern Philippines with the Muslims. This has been a longstanding conflict between the Christian and the Muslim community. When Marcos came in, it was sort of intensified, and in recent years it has been intensified by the Christians moving into what the Muslims consider their normal lands. And then Marcos attempted, after his election in 1969, to have more control than the central government had had before. It started a real shooting insurrection, when Marcos tried to take the guns away from everybody, when he instituted martial law.

Initially, the Philippine military was on the [Page 3] defensive. They were not able to contain this insurrection at all. But in recent months, they have taken the offensive and even though they took a licking down in Jolo, they have at least recaptured the city that was pretty well destroyed.

Marcos claims that the Muslims are receiving arms from Sabah the northeastern part of Malaysia, some of them supplied by Libya as well.

We believe that until Marcos solves the concerns of the Muslims in the Philippines, even if Malaysia cuts off arms, they are going to continue their insurrection. Even though Marcos has accused Malaysia of fomenting the insurrection, it won’t stop when Malaysia stops supplying them.

Of course you know the Philippines have claimed Sabah as part of their territory, and Marcos has privately told our Ambassador that he would be willing to give up his claim if Malaysia would be willing to stop sending arms to the insurgents.

But we don’t yet see Marcos taking the steps that will satisfy the Muslims to completely lay down their arms, because he has not provided the conditions. He says it is a Communist-inspired insurrection. But it really is not.

MR. SISCO: Is Saqqaf going to do any mediating [Page 4] on this thing? Has he involved himself?

MR. INGERSOLL: No, he really has not. He has just been trying to get information from both sides.

MR. RUSH: Of course Saqqaf is there on a state visit of some five days. The welcome he received was a royal welcome. They had the school children out, cheering him when he arrived. Marcos was going to meet him at the airport, and of all things he came in on a KLM plane, the Dutch being on the embargo list — but he still came an a KLM plane, which was two hours late. So Marcos didn’t meet him. But all along the route they had placards and signs, just as you would for a royal welcome. And they treated him really as though he were royalty. It was quite obsequious. And Saqqaf was making very good sounds.

SECRETARY KISSINGER: He will be insufferable when he comes here.

MR. RUSH: Oh, yes. Unless you meet him at the airport — you or the President.

SECRETARY KISSINGER: We will have to escalate it to the Deputy Assistant Secretary level. We have had country directors meet him at the airport.

MR. INGERSOLL: This is where Marcos is going to be in trouble. Unless he solves this, he may have [Page 5] difficulty getting continuing oil from the Middle East.

SECRETARY KISSINGER: They told me they were not going to use this on the Philippine insurrection.

MR. INGERSOLL: They haven’t, yet. But there is a Muslim meeting in May, another one of these summit meetings, at which there may be some sanctions imposed on him.

MR. RUSH: They have been taken off the friendly list, you know, and relegated to the list of those who have what is left over.

SECRETARY KISSINGER: Who?

MR. RUSH: The Philippines have been taken off the friendly list and put onto the list of — what do they call that list — those who receive what is left over after the friendly requirements are met. This is what upset the Philippines so seriously,

The impact of the price increase throughout the area we went is one of the major things we talked about. They are seriously upset about it.

[Omitted is material unrelated to the Philippines.]

  1. Source: National Archives, RG 59, Transcripts of Secretary of State Kissinger’s Staff Meetings, 1973–1977, E5177, Box 2. Secret.↩
  2. Kissinger and his staff discussed the insurgency in the southern Philippines.↩