Office of the Historian

230. Transcript of a Telephone Conversation Between Secretary of State Kissinger and the Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs (Rogers)1

Washington, June 16, 1976, 10:35 a.m.

K: That White has lashed out at the Chileans down there. I think I have made it very clear what my strategy is. I have not become a super liberal. This is not an institution that is going to humiliate the Chileans.

R: The instructions were clear to him. This is in an effort to try individual cases.

K: According to the Washington Post after the Chileans rejected the report, he made a passionated defense of it and then humiliated the Chileans. It is a bloody outrage.

R: Then he has gone beyond his instructions.

K: What are we going to do?

R: I am going to call him right now and find out exactly what happened.

K: Who is White anyway?

R: Number 2 to Maillard.

K: Why don’t we get him out?

R: I will call him. I don’t trust [him] anyway.

K: I know but it was a direct quote. I understand you have been confirmed—congratulations.

R: Did it happen this morning?

K: Yes.

R: And what about the others?

K: They all were.

R: Good.

END

  1. Summary: Rogers and Kissinger discussed comments by Deputy Permanent Representative to the OAS Robert White, who expressed support for an OAS Human Rights Commission report on Chile which concluded that repression and torture continued despite new decrees that supposedly guaranteed the rights of prisoners.

    Source: Department of State, Electronic Reading Room, Kissinger Transcripts. Unclassified. On June 15, the Washington Post reported that Diez criticized an OAS HRC report on Chile, noting that it did not recognize Chilean Government initiatives to improve human rights, leftist arms importation to Chile, open propaganda campaigns with Chile and abroad, and the constant threat of terrorist violence. The Post reported that White expressed support for a resolution praising the HRC report. (“U.S., Chile Disagree on Rights,” Washington Post, June 15, 1976, p. A23) Rogers began his position as Under Secretary of State for Economic Affairs on June 19.

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