31. Memorandum of Conversation, Washington, September 26, 1975, 11:30 a.m.–noon.1 2
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
MEMORANDUM OF CONVERSATION
PARTICIPANTS:
President Ford
President Alfonso Lopez Michelson, President of Colombia
Dr.
Henry A. Kissinger, Secretary
of State and Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs
Lt. General Brent Scowcroft,
Deputy Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs
DATE & TIME: Friday - September 26, 1975 11:30 a.m. - 12:00
Noon
PLACE: The White House, The Oval Office
[Omitted here is discussion unrelated to the United Nations.]
Lopez: There is an increasing number of countries in the UN who are voting against you. Will it not bring an end to your patience? I ask, because it seems to me something must happen sooner or later.
Kissinger: Look at some of the new countries--Sao Tome, Cape Verde. There they sit with an equal vote and are very susceptible to radical pressures.
President: And I guess they can be easily corrupted.
Lopez: They have little to discuss, so they attack the United States. It is a conversation topic.
Kissinger: And it’s free. But we are beginning to keep a log of who talks and votes against us. Some of these guys are amazing; Kaunda sat right here and in answer to a question as to how to help get the right party elected in Angola, he said: “You get them in power first, then we will hold the elections.” Then in his evening toast he blasted us for undemocratic practices.
Lopez: The fact is the UN standards are lowering every year. I suspect sooner or later something will happen.
President: If the abuse continues to expand, I think Congress will react adversely. They can deny money.
Lopez: Or force your withdrawal.
President: We have to keep a record so we can go to them and say we won’t take this abuse and have you come back bilaterally for help.
Lopez: It is popular to vote against you.
Kissinger: But it will no longer be free.
Lopez: I hear they are thinking of expelling Chile from the UN. I’ll find out more this afternoon.
Kissinger: We will fight it. And South Africa.
Lopez: Even that?
Kissinger: I told the Africans we abhorred apartheid, but if it is done for one reason one time, it can be done for another reason another time.
Lopez: Even if they violate the Charter?
Kissinger: You can argue Namibia, but not apartheid.
Lopez: I am glad to hear, privately, that you will not tolerate abuse from the radicals. It looks bad for the moderates not to look as good.
[Omitted here is discussion unrelated to the United Nations.]
- Source: Ford Library, National Security Adviser, Memoranda of Conversations, Box 15, September 26, 1975—Ford, Kissinger, Colombian President Alfonso Lopez Michelsen. Secret; Nodis. The meeting was held in the Oval Office.↩
- Ford, Kissinger, and Colombian President Lopez discussed the new United States strategy to counter opposition at the United Nations.↩