57. Memorandum of Conversation, Washington, October 9, 1975, 3 p.m.1 2
DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Memorandum of Conversation
TIME: 3:00 PM
DATE: October 9, 1975
PLACE: Secretary’s Office
SUBJECT: Papua New Guinea
PARTICIPANTS:
- US: The Secretary
- Philip C. Habib, Assistant Secretary, EA
- John F. Knowles, EA/ANP Acting Director
- John J. Taylor, NSC Staff
- PAPUA NEW GUINEA: Prime Minister Michael Somare
- Philip Bouraga, Secretary, Department of the Prime Minister
- Benais Sabumei, First Assistant Secretary, Department of Foreign Relations and Trade
- Paulias Matane, Charge d’Affaires, Papua New Guinea Embassy
DISTRIBUTION: S—Mr. Adams, Mr. Bremer, WH-Mr. Rodman, S/S
SECRETARY: (Referring to the photographers who had just taken photos and departed) There are some professions which fascinate me. For example, in a symphony orchestra there is some guy in the rear who gets to hit a triangle once every two hours. I have always wondered how he chooses his profession. Of course, I can understand someone wishing to make a career with a symphony orchestra.
I am delighted to welcome you here. I know there are many difficult problems ahead of you.
PRIME MINISTER: I am also delighted that you could have time to receive me. This is my first time to visit the United States since my country achieved independence and my first time to meet with you.
I will be taking a seat on behalf of my Government at the UN tomorrow.
SECRETARY: Are you going to make a speech?
PRIME MINISTER: Yes
[Page 2]SECRETARY: Are you going to attack us? (Looking at Habib) They’ll attack me for this, for saying something that a diplomat ought not to say. However, I have not received their training and I am not a diplomat.
HABIB: (Addressing the PM) Do you treat your staff that way?
PRIME MINISTER: They have been known to have been treated that way.
HABIB: You didn’t answer the Secretary’s question. Are you going to attack us tomorrow?
PRIME MINISTER: My purpose will be to listen.
SECRETARY: You are speaking tomorrow.
PRIME MINISTER: Yes. I have always believed that when you first come into a crowd, you first want to know their thinking.
SECRETARY: What time of day are you speaking?
BOURAGA: There are various resolutions and other things on the UN agenda for tomorrow, but we are tentatively scheduled to speak at 10:30 AM.
HABIB: We cosponsored the resolution to admit Papua New Guinea to the UN.
SECRETARY: Is this your first visit to the US?
PRIME MINISTER: This is my second visit. I came once before on a State Department leadership grant.
HABIB: That was not a poor choice, which was made by a professional diplomatist.
SECRETARY: How long have you been in New York?
PRIME MINISTER: The last time I was there four days. I looked around at the UN and the Australian office.
SECRETARY: What would you say are the major problems between our two countries?
PRIME MINISTER: I don’t think my country is known to Americans except to those Americans who served in Papua New Guinea during World War II. Communications have to be established between our two countries.
SECRETARY: What is the population?
PRIME MINISTER: Almost three million.
SECRETARY: What’s the population of Rabaul?
[Page 3]PRIME MINISTER: 70,000 on the peninsula. New Britain is divided into west and east districts for administrative purposes. Taking west and east together, there are about 120,000 people. The west is where the World Bank has been sponsoring an oil palm project which has been successful.
SECRETARY: Are your relations with Australia good?
PRIME MINISTER: Yes, relations have been very good. Since the time when Australia became the administering authority under the UN Trusteeship, the relationship has been remarkable,
SECRETARY: How about Indonesia?
PRIME MINISTER: We have a very good relationship with Indonesia, which has a common boundary with us. So far relations have been very good. Indonesia has a diplomatic set-up in Papua New Guinea.
SECRETARY: Does Indonesia govern West Irian as an autonomous area?
BOURAGA: Irian Jaya is administered as a province of Indonesia.
SECRETARY: Do the people living in the Indonesian part of New Guinea have the same character as the people of Papua New Guinea?
PRIME MINISTER: Yes. We come from the same ethnic groupings.
SECRETARY: Do you have different tribes?
PRIME MINISTER: Yes, for example in the highlands.
SECRETARY: Do you have one common language?
PRIME MINISTER: No, we have 700 different dialects.
SECRETARY: How many do you know?
PRIME MINISTER: Two.
SECRETARY: (Speaking to Bouraga) How about you?
BOURAGA: I know one. Our medium of communication is Pidgin English.
SECRETARY: If any of you four were speaking your own dialect, would you all understand?
PRIME MINISTER: No. I could understand Matane, since I was brought up in Rabaul, but I could not speak in his dialect.
SECRETARY: Are the dialects totally different?
PRIME MINISTER Yes.
[Page 4]SECRETARY: Is there a written language?
PRIME MINISTER: Yes, notably three of which Enga is the largest.
SECRETARY: Is there any similarity with the natives in Australia?
PRIME MINISTER: They are totally separate.
SECRETARY: It must be very complicated.
BOURAGA: It is a major problem in Papua New Guinea.
SECRETARY: So your young men must learn English or some other common language.
BOURAGA: There are two — English and Pidgin.
HABIB: Pidgin doesn’t lend itself to complicated thoughts. Pidgin is spoken in various places in the South Pacific, for example Fiji.
SECRETARY: Is Pidgin an invented or a developed language?
HABIB: A developed one.
BOURAGA: The Germans were responsible for this in New Guinea.
HABIB: Pidgin has a lot of English words. .
SECRETARY: You say English words; are there also words from other languages?
PRIME MINISTER: Yes, Pidgin varies a lot in different places.
SECRETARY: (Speaking to Habib) Were you there during World War II?
HABIB: No, after the war. I was stationed in New Zealand during the War. Joe Sisco, with whom the Prime Minister had lunch yesterday, served in Papua New Guinea during the War.
SECRETARY: What are our major problems?
HABIB: Not a lot. We have quite a number of missionaries, and we have business interests and investments in Papua New Guinea. Of course, Papua New Guinea is important in terms of geographic location. Our interests in Papua New Guinea are, of course, not as great as in many countries elsewhere. We have not been discussing any problem areas with the Prime Minister. Just before this meeting the Prime Minister signed the articles of agreement of the IBRD and the IMF.
SECRETARY: When are we sending an ambassador to Papua New Guinea?
[Page 5]HABIB: We are awaiting a decision on our recommendation that we seek agreement for our ambassador.
SECRETARY: Why not?
HABIB: It is over at the White House.
SECRETARY: Then you are not waiting for me. (Turning to the Prime Minister) When our diplomatic establishments are fully set up, you should feel free to tell us what concerns you have about our relations, and we will treat them sympathetically. I know that you are a moderate and responsible leader of your country. I think Australia can be of great help, and we shall be working with them.
It has been a pleasure to meet you.
- Source: Ford Library, National Security Adviser, NSC Staff for East Asia & Pacific Affairs, Convenience Files, Box 15, Kissinger memoranda (6), October–December 1975. Confidential; Nodis. Drafted by Knowles and approved by Covey. The meeting was held in Kissinger’s office at the White House.↩
- Kissinger met the Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea.↩