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    "localId": "1553090",
    "label": "May 29, 1975 - Ford, Kissinger, French President Valery Giscard d'Estaing",
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    "title": "May 29, 1975 - Ford, Kissinger, French President Valery Giscard d'Estaing",
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        "Vietnam War, 1961-1975"
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    "ocrText": "NATIONAL ARCHIVES AND RECORDS ADMINISTRATION\nPresidential Libraries Withdrawal Sheet\nWITHDRAWAL ID 010874\nREASON FOR WITHDRAWAL\nNational security restriction\nTYPE OF MATERIAL\nMemorandum of Conversation\nCREATOR'S NAME\nFord/d'Estaing/et.al.\nCREATION DATE\n05/29/1975\nVOLUME\n3 pages\nCOLLECTION/SERIES/FOLDER ID\n036600146\nCOLLECTION TITLE\nNATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER. MEORANDA OF\nCONVERSATIONS\nBOX NUMBER\n12\nFOLDER TITLE\nMay 29, 1975 - Ford, Kissinger, French\nPresident Valery Giscard d'Estaing\nDATE WITHDRAWN\n02/01/2000\nWITHDRAWING ARCHIVIST\nLET\nSANITIZED 3/11/02\n2/3/10\n6/7/13\nTHE WHITE HOUSE\nWASHINGTON\nSECRET/NODIS/XGDS\nMEMORANDUM OF CONVERSATION\nPARTICIPANTS:\nValery Giscard d'Estaing, President of the\nFrench Republic\nForeign Minister Jean Sauvagnargues\nPresident Gerald Ford\nDr. Henry A. Kissinger, Secretary of State\nand Assistant to the President for\nNational Security Affairs\nLt. General Brent Scowcroft, Deputy\nAssistant to the President for\nNational Security Affairs\nDATE AND TIME:\nThursday, May 29, 1975\n[Following King Baudouin's Dinner]\nPLACE:\nRoyal Palace\nBrussels, Belgium\nGiscard: I wanted to come to show you an expression of my regard\nfor you and the United States. I know it is a difficult time for\nyou. In Southeast Asia, we tried to influence them as long as we\ncould. We know the difficulties you are having, and we understand\nwhy you wanted to come to Europe.\nPresident: I have long thought we made a mistake in the way we\nconducted our operations, but I still believe our objectives in\nIndochina were right. There comes a time when you have to recog-\nnize the realities. It is over. But some of us don't concede\nthat we were wrong to have tried.\nGiscard: I think this will give you more freedom of action now.\nThe French public opinion understood, and there was no criticism.\nPresident: In the United States, most people did not take any\nsatisfaction from the events, even those who were against the war.\nGiscard: We have taken a certain number of refugees. Our Consul\nhas visited some of the camps.\nTOP SECRIT\nSECRET/NODIS/XGDS\nCLASSIFIED BY: HENRY A. KISSINGER\nDECLASSIFIED IN PART\nE.O. 13526\nAuthority NCF 10-117 Appeal, 26\nNAR APMH Date 6/7/2013\nSECRET/NODIS/XGDS\n2\nPresident: We appreciate this. Several other countries have\noffered.\nGiscard: I want to raise my second point: I believe that for\nFrench security and the stability of the Western world. it would\nbe better to have two units -- Western Europe and the United\nStates. In the past, it was thought that Europe couldn't be a\nreliable partner, but now I don't think it is possible to have a\ndifference between us on major points. I think the people would\nhave more security with two units. Of course, Europe is not yet\norganized, but I intend to try. I would like understanding from\nthe United States that it is sympathetic to our attempt to do this.\nTindemans is doing a study to see what could be done.\nPresident: How about Portugal, and Spain?\nGiscard: I am just thinking of the EC now, but we would expand\nto include Greece, Portugal and Spain.\nI share your view on Portugal. I expressed it to Helmut [Schmidt].\nWe shouldn't ostracize them, but we shouldn't give them support.\nPresident: They are no better than the old regime.\nKissinger: Concalves gave us a political lecture today: The\nArmed Forces Movement represents the people, the political parties\nrepresent only part of the people, he says.\nGiscard: This is sad. The Portuguese people are nice people.\nTo imagine the Armed Forces Movement is the expression of the\npeople!\nWe were embarrassed. Casta Gomes is coming next week, on the\nway to Romania. We arranged it when we thought the election\nwould change things.\nI believe it is important to build Europe. Right now we have the\nSoviet Union and China fighting. If they join up, then there\nwould only be the United States opposing.\nIt is better for us not to try to change the NATO structure.\nWe will increase our own forces. We won't push our partners to\ndiminish their NATO commitment. Defense relations will remain\nthe same for now, but politics will be done more and more on a\nunified basis in Europe. Then it would not be good for the United\nStates to work with one and another.\nSECRET/NODIS/XGDS\nSECRET/NODIS/XGDS\n3\nPresident: This would exclude Canada also.\nGiscard: Yes. Only the Nine.\nPresident: What about Spain?\nGiscard: That is another Portuguese case, an aging regime unable\nto adjust for the future. One can hope, but I am not optimistic.\nJuan Carlos is a fine fellow,\n3.3(b)(6)\nKissinger: I agree. He hasn't the strength.\nGiscard: He will take no risks. I advised him not to continue\nto play a secondary role to Franco. When Franco took back the\npower last year, I told him to withdraw, with an announcement\nthat he would wait, then leave Spain and travel. When Franco\ndied, he should go back and put in a Cabinet of liberals, instead\nof being a prisoner of Franco. But he won't do it.\nWe can't help. They are a proud country and other people can't\nhelp. So Europe will be Benelux and the Six.\nLet me say something on the Third World. I visited several places.\nIn Morocco, two million people cheered me because of our position\non developing countries. We recognize they have a position to\ndefend. The United States policy of the last few years which has\nbeen negative in these areas has been resented. I understand\nyour view, but in the world today, you can't let people be captive\nto price fluctuation, etc.\nPresident: We will not defend the free enterprise system rhetori-\ncally, though we believe in it. Neither will we embrace the \"new\norder.\" We will sit down on a case-by-case basis and discuss these\nproblems and solve them. Rhetoric won't do it. I am a problem-\nsolver. We will express our views at the table but we won't\npolarize people because the problems that can't be solved.\nGiscard: After World War II, the United States took an active\nposition to decolonize. We supported you. Now these people are\nworried about their economic future. This is a major issue now.\nKissinger: We recognize this. We have a difficult time within\nour own government. We have solved that. But it would be bad\nif the countries of the developed world competed with each other\nto offer favors to the underdeveloped nations. That is our\nconcern.\nSECRET/NODIS/XGDS\nNATIONAL ARCHIVES AND RECORDS ADMINISTRATION\nPresidential Libraries Withdrawal Sheet\nWITHDRAWAL ID 010876\nREASON FOR WITHDRAWAL\nNational security restriction\nTYPE OF MATERIAL\nMemorandum of Conversation\nCREATOR'S NAME\nFord/d'Estaing/et.al.\nDESCRIPTION\nhandwritten version of memcon #010874\nCREATION DATE\n05/29/1975\nVOLUME\n3 pages\nCOLLECTION/SERIES/FOLDER ID\n036600146\nCOLLECTION TITLE\nNATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER. MEORANDA OF\nCONVERSATIONS\nBOX NUMBER\n12\nFOLDER TITLE\nMay 29, 1975 - Ford, Kissinger, French\nPresident Valery Giscard d'Estaing\nDATE WITHDRAWN\n02/01/2000\nWITHDRAWING ARCHIVIST\nLET"
}