240. Memorandum of Telephone Conversation Between President Reagan and King Hassan II of Morocco1
President Reagan’s Telephone Call to Moroccan King Hassan II, May 11, 1985. Call began 1824 local time and ended at 1832 local.
President Reagan: Your Majesty, I’m just returned from the trip, I’m back in Washington now, and I just wanted to express my appreciation for the invitation you had extended to visit Morocco and my regret that it couldn’t be arranged.
King Hassan: Mr. President, do you listen me?
President Reagan: Yes.
King Hassan: Mr. President, I am very very touched by your call at this hour. And I appreciate very deeply your kindness to call me. And I’m as sad as you to not meet you on the phone on behalf of Morocco.
President Reagan: Well, Your Majesty, I had hoped that maybe something would develop that I could, as you said, just fly across the Mediterranean,2 but then not only was the schedule so full, but I had some problems you might even have read about in your press over there, back here that brought me back because of our budget and the problems I’m having with the Congress.
King Hassan: I know all your problems, and I think that you are in the same situation for the $14 million as President Carter was with the Angola problems with 13 million problems.
President Reagan: Yes, Your Majesty, I was talking about you with our mutual friend, King Juan Carlos.
King Hassan: He called me.
President Reagan: He did!
King Hassan: He told me that you give him message for me, you and Mrs. Reagan and appreciate that very deeply.
[Page 501]President Reagan: Well, I knew that he would be talking to you or seeing you from our conversation so I had asked him to do that, didn’t realize that he would be so prompt. But I just want you to know that I (pause) Hello!
King Hassan: I shall call the King and I shall hope he will send me the (few words unintel.) or I send him (unintel.) to give me the (unintel.)
President Reagan: You know we still continue our strong interest in the close relations between our country, our two countries. I’m especially appreciative of our security cooperation, it benefits us very much and I have a message, Nancy wants me to give you her very best regards. She remembers your visit here with great pleasure.
King Hassan: Mr. President, like you, I have one heart and one home and Morocco and I, we are friends of you and your country. You are in good health, God will give you long life and I am hoping you’ll visit in Morocco when you want.
President Reagan: I’m hoping for that also. I remember your invitation at the time that you were here and . . .
King Hassan: Will you please for me kiss the hand of Mrs. Reagan and remind her that she promised to make a small short visit in Morocco please.
President Reagan: I certainly shall do that and I . . .
King Hassan: Thank you.
President Reagan: I believe that high level dialogue is very important and I know that my National Security Advisor McFarlane . . .
King Hassan: Yes.
President Reagan: Is I believe now he had hoped that he was coming. I believe that he is going to try to make a visit to your country in June and I hope so just as I hope that we shall be able to get together in the not so distant future.3
King Hassan: We are waiting him when he wants and I made the program to visit the United Nations in September. Maybe at this moment I could see you Mr. President.
President Reagan: That would be fine. You are visiting here in September?
King Hassan: Yes. For the anniversary of the United Nations.
President Reagan: I shall tell our people and we shall take a close look at our schedule before it gets too filled up with things. I would enjoy that very much.
[Page 502]King Hassan: Thank you, Mr. President and God be with you and abiento.4
President Reagan: It’s good to talk to you and I shall look forward to seeing you.
King Hassan: Excuse me for my English but it is mine.5
President Reagan: Listen, you’re doing much better than I could do in (laugh) someone else’s language, so I respect you very much for your being able to do this.
King Hassan: Thank you, Mr. President and good evening to you and Mrs. Reagan.
President Reagan: Good-bye friend, Your Majesty.6
- Source: Department of State, Executive Secretariat, S/S Records, 1985 Nodis Memorandums: Lot 94D92, Exdis June 1985. Secret; Exdis. From a copy that indicates the original was received in the White House Situation Room. An unknown hand wrote: “For Bob Pearson” at the top of the memorandum. The Department transmitted an abstract of the telephone call in telegram 146819 to Rabat, May 14. (Department of State, Central Foreign Policy File, Electronic Telegrams, [no N number])↩
- See footnotes 3 and 4, Document 237.↩
- An unknown hand underlined the portion of this sentence beginning with the word “just” and ending with the word “future.”↩
- An unknown hand underlined “Abiento” in this sentence and placed an exclamation point in the left-hand margin.↩
- An unknown hand underlined this comment and wrote: “Great line” in the right-hand margin.↩
- At the bottom of the memorandum, an unknown hand wrote: “MAC—Abiento is not, of course, a bien tôt. Rather it is dialectical Moroccan for [illegible Arabic script] a reference to the King’s great regard for Maureen.—M.” Maureen refers to Reagan’s oldest daughter.↩