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428081345
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Telephone Conversation with F.W. de Klerk of South Africa on January 15, 1991
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428081345
contentType
document
title
Telephone Conversation with F.W. de Klerk of South Africa on January 15, 1991
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collections
Records of the National Security Council (George H. W. Bush Administration)
Presidential Telcon Files
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South Africa
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428081345
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15
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1991-01-15
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1991
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nara-archive
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SECRET
THE WHITE HOUSE
SECRET
0336
WASHINGTON
MEMORANDUM OF TELEPHONE CONVERSATION
SUBJECT:
Telephone Conversation with F.W. de Klerk
of South Africa on January 15, 1991
PARTICIPANTS:
The President
F.W. de Klerk, President of South Africa
Notetaker: Robert C. Frasure
DATE, TIME
January 15, 1991, 7:30 - 7:40 a.m. EST
AND PLACE:
The Oval Office
President de Klerk telephoned the President to express his
support in the Gulf Crisis.
(f)
The President: Good morning, Mr. President. How are you? (U)
President de Klerk: I'm fine. I'm phoning to tell you that we
are thinking about you at this time. I know you have very heavy
responsibility on your shoulders now. We are fully behind you.
We are fully supportive of you.
(f)
The President: Thank you very much. I appreciate that very
much. This is a very significant date. UN Security Council
Resolution 678 authorizing the use of force comes into effect
today, at midnight. (U)
how
You have captured the mood here, and I cannot tell you much
I
appreciate your phone call. (U)
But we don't feel lonely in all of this. There has been SO much
consultation and so much solidarity. It has been a shared -
decision. (U)
It was SO thoughtful of you to call at this time. (U)
President de Klerk: I want to congratulate you as well on your
support in Congress. You have your allies with you, if I may say
so. And now you have legislative support. (C)
We will also be supporting you on all of this. Timing is of the
essence now, I guess. I mean you don't have to do anything at
midnight. The days ahead will weigh heavily on you. (C)
SECRET
Declassify on: OADR
DECLASSIFIED
PER E.O. 12958,
AS AMENDED
601 8/21/2009
SEONE,
SECRET
2
We have tried to be helpful to you. For our part, we have given
you the particulars on all of the weapons we have sold to the
other side in former days. (S)
The President: Yes. Yes. (U)
President de Klerk: The details have been made available to you.
(2)
I also want to thank you once again for your strong statement of
the time of my visit to Washington on the "irreversibility" of
the process in South Africa. It made the recent helpful European
decisions possible, in my view.
(C)
I will be announcing early in February several things which will
let you make the steps which I know you want to make. (C)
The President: I'm glad to hear that. We have a lot of respect
here for your leadership. (U)
I meant what I said in the statement on the irreversibility. I'm
glad it has been helpful. (U)
President de Klerk: I appreciate the way that Secretary Baker
has kept us informed on developments in the Gulf.
(S)
I just had a good meeting with your Health Secretary, Sullivan.
(U)
The President: Good. He's a good man. I'm glad you could spend
some time with him. He will be reporting to me when he gets back
from his trip. (U)
President de Klerk: All the very best to you. And to Mrs. Bush.
(U)
The President: Thank you for calling. God bless you. (U)
President de Klerk: God forbid that it ever comes to it, but if
you need any physical support from us -- airfields, anything --
it is all available. (S)
The President: How generous of you for thinking of us in this
regard. Thank you again for calling. Good by. (U)
President de Klerk: Good by. (U)
-- End of Conversation
SECRET
SECRET