359. Transcript of a Telephone Conversation Between Mexican Foreign Minister Rabasa and the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger)1
K: Emilio. How are you?
R: I just got the very good news that all things are OK, no?
K: The Senate still has to vote, but that’s pretty much of a formality, if the committee votes. The Senate never overturns a committee.
R: Well, I’m over-joyed, Henry, and I know and hope that you’ll be a great Secretary of State.
K: But I know you, Emilio. You’re going to pull rank on me now as the senior Foreign Minister.
R: [laughs] No, Henry, I’m leaving for United Nations the 28th, more or less. When in New York I’ll call you.
K: Good. I want to see you. You know, if you can put your charter into neutral language.2
R: My what?
K: That charter—into neutral language.
R: Yes, and we have thought about this—not as a treaty, but as a declaration.
K: That’s what I mean, as a declaration.
R: Exactly. That’s our thought.
K: But if you can do it without being critical of the developed nations.
R: That I will do.
K: Then I think we will make a big effort to support it.
R: That I will do, Henry. And I’ll sit down with you and I’ll go over it.
K: And also I want to discuss with you getting Latin American policy more active.
R: Fine, because I will just see, well, I have a lot to speak to you. I was just going over the countries one by one, and I will speak to you [Page 928] and you see that democracy is now a very curious item in Latin America.
K: Yes, well, we’ll have to talk about it, Emilio, and I need your help in this respect.
R: Please, Henry, the place that took certain steps, now lay very low, Henry, because they are saying that, well, you know, you helped things that happened.
K: I personally?
R: Oh, no, no, no, the government.
K: No, that isn’t true. Believe me, it isn’t.
R: Henry, you’re telling me—I know it. But, play it very cool at this moment.
K: Well, we are playing it very cool.
R: Because now they’re saying that money is going to overflow over there.
K: Oh, no, we’re going to go slowly.
R: And that the biggest national is going to go back again.
K: Who?
R: ITT.
K: No, no, no.
R: Well, they are trying to but I want you to start with the right certainty a great Secretary of State, especially concerning Latin America.
K: Well, that is my intention, Emilio, and with your help, we can do it.
R: But at this moment, please, if you can mostly [let no] support these people because the image of these guerillas all over Latin America is terrible, Henry. Any association of you, or the government, or the President would be terrible at this moment.
K: No, no, we are moving very deliberately.
R: Please do so until I speak to you and I can explain many things that I’ve heard and know.
K: Good.
[Omitted here is discussion unrelated to Chile.]
- Source: Library of Congress, Manuscript Division, Kissinger Papers, Box 369, Telephone Conversations, Chronological File. No classification marking. Rabasa was in Mexico City and Kissinger was in Washington. All brackets, except those that indicate the omission of material, are in the original.↩
- Reference is to the Charter of Economic Rights and Duties of States first proposed by Mexican President Echeverría at the third session of UNCTAD in April–May 1972.↩