413. Memorandum From Secretary of State Shultz to President Reagan1
1. OAS General Assembly. Today’s plenary session was devoted to formal statements by Heads of Delegations. The Latin American Foreign Ministers dealt in familiar terms with protectionism, the Falklands crisis, the North-South dialogue and the future of the inter-American system. My speech stressed democracy as a recurring ideal and practical standard.2 I pointed out that one of the principal objectives for your upcoming trip is to underscore our firm commitment to democratic processes. I also observed that the US is now poised for economic recovery and that this hemisphere should provide a substantial impulse to the renewed momentum for global expansion. (U)
2. Falklands. The Argentines have taken a conciliatory tack at the OAS meeting and are supporting a mild Falklands resolution. Our vote for the resolution will create a positive atmosphere for your trip.3 [Page 834] We have consulted on the text and tactics repeatedly with the British Embassy, which is pleased with our results and appreciative of our efforts. That said, we cannot guarantee that our vote will not elicit a negative response from Mrs. Thatcher, who has been more outspoken than her Foreign Office on the Falklands. (S)
[Omitted here is discussion of issues unrelated to the South Atlantic.]
- Source: Reagan Library, Executive Secretariat, NSC Agency File, Sec. State Evening Report (11/04/1982–11/23/1982). Secret.↩
- See footnote 5, Document 412.↩
- Reagan traveled to Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, and Honduras November 30–December 4. At a November 23 meeting of the National Security Council, held to brief the President on his trip, Shultz commented on the trip’s implications for U.S.-Latin American relations in the aftermath of the South Atlantic war. Shultz informed Reagan: “Your trip will conclude the post-Falklands/Malvinas—our votes in the UN and OAS have helped. The British initially were unhappy with us over the UN vote, but they are now thanking us and will be glad over the long run that we have helped moderate this issue. We have, over many years, had a close military relationship in South America; weapons training in the US. This was extremely beneficial. It has dropped off dramatically. We are losing our close relations with the younger officers. Historically, we have sold 60 percent of their [South America’s] weapons; now it is only six percent. The close personal contacts have been the glue of our relations with these nations. They must be rebuilt.” (Minutes of a Meeting of the National Security Council, November 23; Reagan Library, Executive Secretariat, NSC Meeting Files, NSC 00067 11/23/1982 [President’s Trip to Latin America])↩