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1553490
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July 1, 1976 - Ford, Afghanistan Envoy Mohammad Aziz Naim
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1553490
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July 1, 1976 - Ford, Afghanistan Envoy Mohammad Aziz Naim
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Memoranda of Conversations (Nixon and Ford Administrations)
Ford Administration Memoranda of Conversations
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Afghanistan
Soviet Union
Agriculture
Arms transfers
International development
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1976-07-01
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1976
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1976-07-01
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1976
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File scanned from the National Security Adviser's Memoranda of Conversation Collection at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library
MEMORANDUM
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
DECLASSIFIED
E.O. 10.20 (as amended) SEC 3.3
SEGRET/NODIS/XGDS
une
11-058,1#1
state dept. review 8/29/11
MEMORANDUM OF CONVERSATION
By dal NARA, Date 2/2/12
PARTICIPANTS:
President Ford
Mohammad Aziz Naim, Special Envoy
of the President of Afghanistan
Dr. Henry A. Kissinger, Secretary of
State
Ali Ahmad Khurram, Minister of Planning
Samed Ghaus, Director General, Ministry
of Foreign Affairs
DATE AND TIME:
Thursday - July 1, 1976
4:50 - 5:36 p.m.
PLACE:
The Oval Office
President: It is a great pleasure to have you here. Please give my
regards to your President. I am pleased to say that our bilateral
relations are excellent. I would like to have your impression of our
relations and the situation in the part of the world.
Naim: It is kind of you, Mr. President. I appreciate this opportunity to
meet with you and your associates. I have enjoyed meeting as well with
the Congress and Senate. I appreciate the opportunity to discuss our
relations.
We feel we must have adequate means to prevent developments against
our security. We need information which will help us to know what is
going on. As I indicated to Secretary Kissinger, we need help in being
more prepared for the future and for threats to our security. I was here
as Ambassador when our military attache prepared a modest list of
armament that we needed. We wanted at least enough to give us some
help and some indication that we could receive support if needed. It
was refused.
When help was refused from the United States, we were completely
defenseless and we contacted the Soviets for arms. They responded, and on
this basis cooperation developed in other spheres of our country.
CLASSIFIED BY HENRY A. KISSINGER
EXEMPT FROM GENERAL DECLASSIFICATION
SECRET/NODIS/XGDS
SCHEDULE OF EXECUTIVE ORDER 11652
EXEMPTION CATEGORY 5 (b) (1-3)
AUTOMATICALLY DECLASSIFIED ON
SECRET/NODIS/XGDS
-2-
We have sent officers to the Soviet Union to their military institutions
to train. Since the help was coming from them, they said they had to
train our personnel. A number of our military people have not only
been trained in arms but have received political indoctrination. Numerically
they don't represent a significant percent, but they are mostly in jobs which
are critical. We are in a posture of visible friendship with the Soviet Union,
but we don't want to get too close. We don't feel any results from US-Soviet
detente. In our country, we feel the antagonism has increased, not diminished.
If we could have an invisible cooperation on intelligence work and some
help with our intelligence organizations, it would be of great help.
The President: How much military aid does the Soviet Union supply?
Naim: It is not significant now. We already have the arms and our people
are-already trained, SO it isn't as much as it was formerly.
Kissinger: I must leave, but as I told Mr. Naim, after discussing with
the President we would agree in principle with intelligence cooperation and
we will also work out some more visible projects of cooperation.
[Secretary Kissinger leaves]
Naim: You have received a report from Secretary Kissinger. We need
assistance in intelligence about what may be going on in Afghanistan.
But we also want the presence of a friendly US in Afghanistan, cooperating
in development, which will benefit my people and have a symbolic meaning.
Most importantly it would be helpful in agriculture -- our most important
industry.
My people don't want to be gripped by a small percentage of people who
are in the services of a foreign power.
We hope to find with you more compassion for our problem and more
compassion for our needs in development.
The President: As I recall, in the 50's when I was a Congressman we were
helping build a dam. Was it ever completed?
Naim: There was a lot of work done on an irrigation project, but it was
a multi-purpose project and unfortunately still isn't completed. Finishing
it would give us energy we badly need and allow us to use it to process
agriculture. Right now we have no means to make fertilizer.
SECRET/NODIS/XGDS
BRAND
SECRET/NODIS/XGDS
-3-
The President: What are the major agricultural products?
Naim: Fruit, fresh and dried -- besides food for home consumption.
We need help in learning how to make our dried fruit more marketable
in the U.S. I discussed with Mr. McNamara the production of steel.
We are in the process of creating a network of railroads which will
let us export iron ore and help us in our own consumption. Mr. McNamara
promised to send people to study the projects. We thought maybe the U.S.
and other developed countries could join to help us develop in these areas.
The President: I will talk with Secretary Kissinger and AID and I hope
we can do something worthwhile. As for intelligence, I think we can work
something worthwhile. As for intelligence, I think we can work something
out but we will have to work out the details.
Naim: That is very kind of you. This kind of help for our security
and development will not only help our security but will assist the future
of the area where we are living.
In conclusion, I am very pleased to be here when the United States is
celebrating its independence. I am from a country which has always
fought for its independence and it is auspicious that this is the year I
am here and you are commemorating yours. I congratulate you on your
celebration.
The President: Thank you very much. Please tell your President we
will do our best to help in the areas we discussed. Per haps Secretary
Kissinger can visit when he is next in the area.
Naim: Thank you very much. We will warmly welcome Secretary Kissinger
whenever he might be able to visit.
GERALD R. FORD LIBRANY
SEGRET/NODIS/XGDS
P/ haim
, July 76
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DECLASSIFIED
E.O. 13626 (as amended) SEC as
MRO #1 11-058.#1
state dept. review 8/29/11
By dal NARA, Date 2/2/12
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