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April 12, 1975 - Ford, Kissinger, Ambassador Daniel Patrick Moynihan (UN)
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1553022
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April 12, 1975 - Ford, Kissinger, Ambassador Daniel Patrick Moynihan (UN)
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Memoranda of Conversations (Nixon and Ford Administrations)
Ford Administration Memoranda of Conversations
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1975
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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
SEGRET/NODIS/XGDS
MEMORANDUM OF CONVERSATION
PARTICIPANTS:
President Ford
Amb. Daniel Patrick Moynihan, U.S. Ambassador
to the United Nations
Dr. Henry A. Kissinger, Secretary of State
and Assistant to the President
for National Security Affairs
Lt. Gen. Brent Scowcroft, Deputy Assistant
to the President for National Security Affairs
DATE AND TIME:
Saturday, April 12, 1975
10:45 a. m.
PLACE:
The Oval Office
The White House
SUBJECT:
American Strategy at the UN
President: I almost reconsidered asking you. I read in Human Events
something very complimentary about you. [Laughter].
Kissinger: That Commentary article is one of the most important articles
eroding and that reputation is important to us.
DECLASSIFIED
E.O. SEC.3.5
NSC GUIDELINES 3/11/04
in a long time. That is why it is essential to have him at the UN.
President: I am delighted you will do it.
NARA, DATE 5/13/04
Moynihan: I will. I have no illusions about it. The Commentary article
makes two points: we are still acting in the same posture we had in the
past when we had a majority -- so we still seek a consensus. The only
consensus now is screw the United States. The reputation of the US keeps
Kissinger: We even cooperate in resolutions directed through codewords
against us. This erodes our image further.
President: Your new posture will delight the Congress. The UN is not
the most popular institution in the world here now.
FORD
&
SEGRET/NODIS/XGDS
GERALD
LIBRARY
SECRET XGDS (3)
CLASSIFIED BY: HENRY A. KISSINGER
SECRET/NODIS/XGDS
-2-
Kissinger: The public will be delighted. We have to rally the American
public and show the world we are strong and determined. If we appear
at the UN with Pat's wisdom, strength and toughness. How we are going
to behave is important.
Moynihan: Right. Are we going to give up a fight?
President: This is our campaign now.
Moynihan: In the UN we are like the Republicans in Congress. But in
doing this we will make some mistakes. But we will make some, as
against the total mistake we're making now. But we can't aim only
at the Third World. The Soviet Union and China make devastating charges
against the US and we never respond.
President: I want strong statements and the guts to veto and vote against.
Kissinger: If you think you are under Soviet and Chinese usages -- you
shouldn't initiate, but respond. With China, let's consult on a case-by-case
basis.
Moynihan: I have one specific proposal. One mistake we make is acting
like the General Assembly has semi-legislative powers. The Soviet Union
believed it when we had a majority. Now it is being used against us.
We have to go back to the Charter.
Kissinger: We need a strategy. In principle, I think we should move
things from the General Assembly to the Security Council. It is important
to see that we have our confidence and nerve. The Tanzanian, if he attacks
the Soviet Union, is in trouble; if he attacks the US, he must know he is in
equal trouble. Also we must get hold of the Specialized Agencies.
Moynihan: Should we have staff changes?
President: Do our people stay there in perpetuity?
Kissinger: The personnel is ready to rotate anyway. You can clean out
both in the Mission and the delegation. We can't do much about the
Congressional members. We should pick the other public members
for other than pure political reasons.
FORD
&
SECRET/NODIS/XGDS
GERALD
LIBRARY
SEGRET/NODIS/XGDS
-3-
Moynihan: For 25 years there have been high politics and low politics
in State. High politics was security and that was where reputations work.
The UN, etc., was low politics; where Mrs. Roosevelt and those who
weren't up to the struggle went. If word went out that words matter, we
could turn this around.
President: This coincides with what I said Thursday. What we said,
we meant. That is what I hope you will do.
Moynihan: But in a conciliatory not belligerent way. We are too dangerous
to be pushed around.
Kissinger: I will staff State to back you up.
Moynihan: Would this carry on the tradition of my moninally being in
in the Cabinet?
President: I plan to see Scali Monday. Is that okay?
Moynihan: There aren't six people in State who understand a Leninist
argument. We have to retrain people. One thing: They will move to
oust Israel. They had the chutzpah to meet in Cuba.
Kissinger: This one thing we have to hit -- for the non-aligned to meet
in Cuba and claim non-alignment.
They can't throw them out but they can refuse them a seat in the
General Assembly.
Bouteflika will still be chairman for the Special Session but for the
regular session we will have a European. In 1976 it will be someone from
the Middle East, though, and we would have a massive problem.
Moynihan: If we can head it off we can avoid a debacle in '76. It won't
hurt Israel much but it will reduce American support.
Kissinger: But it is no different from South Africa. That was an outrage.
We have to keep fighting that, or the Group of 77 will be deciding UN
membership.
Moynihan: We should say we are not sympathetic to the regime, but it FORD
is a matter of principle.
GERALD
LISBANY
SECRET/NODIS/XGDS
SEGRET/NODIS/XGDS
-4-
President: I hope you can get out around the country to speak.
Moynihan: Yes. And the Congress.
UNESCO is something a lot of people care about. Israel was expelled.
I would like to be firm and say you can't expel Israel and expect us to
participate -- - because we are getting pressure to get back in and forget
the Israeli expulsion.
Kissinger: That should be considered as part of a general strategy.
President: I am delighted, Pat. We are on the same wave length.
FORD
?
SEGRET/NODIS/XGDS
GERALD
LIBRARY
Scowerell
his
MEMORANDUM
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
SECRET/NODIS/XGDS
MEMORANDUM OF CONVERSATION
PARTICIPANTS:
Dr. Henry A. Kissinger, Secretary of State and
Assistant to the President for National Security
Affairs
Amb. Daniel P. Moynihan, U.S. Ambassador to
the United Nations
Lt. General Brent Scowcroft, Deputy Assistant to
the President for National Security Affairs
DATE AND TIME:
Saturday, April 12, 1975
10:56 - 11:11 a.m. (following meeting with the
President)
PLACE:
The Secretary's Office
The White House
Kissinger: One major problem you will have is on Israel. We must
dissociate ourselves a bit from Israel -- not to destroy them but to
prevent them from becoming a Sparta, with only military solutions to
NSC MEMO, stateleview3/11/04
every problem. They are desperately looking for a spokesman -- and
they will work on you. What Israel did in the last negotiation was unconscionable.
We may come out with our own ideas of the elements of a stable peace in
the Middle East. We can't afford a crisis in the context of blind support
DATE 5/13/04
of Israel.
I don't want Israel to get the idea that our UN mission is an extension
of theirs. Treat them in a very friendly way, but as a foreign government.
On expulsion, give them total support. On UNESCO, I am inclined to think
DECLASSIFIED
the same. On the PLO, give them total support, at least until they
recognize the existence of Israel.
ILO.
We have to show Israel they don't run us and we can't support massive
acquisition of territory. You can't maintain that selling out Vietnam has
no impact on Israel -- as the Jewish community thinks. It can't be.
FORD
4
SECRET/NODIS/XGDS
GERALD
LIBRARY
CLASSIFIED BY HENRY A. KISSINGER
"XEMPT FROM GENERAL DECLASSIFICATION
SCHEDULE OF EXECUTIVE ORDER 11652
EXEMPTION CATEGORY 5 (b) (1,3)
AUTOMATICALLY DECLASSIFIED ON Imp. to Det.
SECRET/NODIS/XGDS
2.
We triggered the debacle in Vietnam. [They discussed what happened. ]
We shouldn't kid ourselves that what we have done does not have catastro-
phic results. When the Japanese Foreign Minister visits here and demands
to put out a statement reaffirming the Security Treaty. You know that in
Japan you preserve it by never mentioning it. The President and I are
going out in a Churchillian way. The UN is very important in this campaign.
You have got to show that we are staying the course.
Moynihan: The American Jews have got to be Americans.
Kissinger: We will probably aim for security essentially within their
borders, in total security and for total peace.
This ruthless using of a Communist threat at one moment, and Jewish
immigration at another has got to stop. On expulsion we will fight to the
death; on UNESCO I am inclined to agree. But Israel must be treated like
Great Britain, not like the Department of Treasury.
FORD
&
GERALD
LIDHARY
SECRET/NODIS/XGDS
Mognihan/K
12 apr 75
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FORD
DECLASSIFIED
&
E.O. 12958, SEC. 3.5
NSC MEMO, 11/24/98, STATE DEPT. GUIDELINES state Deview 3/11/04
BY. lub
GERALD
NARA DATE 5/13/04
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GERALO
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DECLASSIFIED
NSC MEMO, 11/24/98, E.O. 12958, STATE SEC. DEPT. 3.5 GUIDBLINES State Deview 3/11/04
BY lubt
NARA, DATE 5/13/04
11
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GEHALD
LIBRARY