Office of the Historian

361. Circular Airgram From the Department of State to the Mission to the European Communities0

Washington, November 14, 1962, 3:18 p.m.

CA-5291. Subject: Contacts between EEC and OPEC. Ref: Mission’s tel Ecbus 257 (rptd info Paris Ecbus 101, Luxembourg Luxco 80).1

Dept prefers to avoid adding to OPEC’s international prestige or position. Accordingly Dept wld prefer contacts between OPEC and other organizations, including EEC, be avoided or minimized.

As a non-member of EEC, however, Dept is not prepared to push this position to extent of attempting officially to persuade EEC or its members to avoid contact with OPEC.

Officers of the Mission, if called upon to express an opinion, may suggest that it wld be logical for members of EEC to adopt the same position on contacts between EEC and OPEC that they adopted when contacts between OECD and OPEC were discussed recently in a meeting of the OECD Special Oil Committee. (See Paris tel Cedto 411, Oct 23, 1962, pouched Brussels and Luxembourg.)2

Rusk
  1. Source: Department of State, Central Files, 800.2553/11-1462. Limited Official Use. Drafted by George H. Alexander (OR/FSE) on November 8, cleared by Barbara Fagan (EUR/RPE) and Howard R. Cottam (NEA), and approved by Claus R. Ruser (FSE). Repeated to the EC Mission in Luxembourg and USRO in Paris.↩
  2. Dated September 7. (Ibid., 886.2553/9-762)↩
  3. Not printed. (Ibid., 374.82553/10-2362)↩