258. Telegram 1735/Secto 188 From the Embassy in Jamaica to the Department of State1
1735. Secto 188. Subj: SecVisit LA: Secretary Rogers—Conversation with Colombia President Pastrana, May 18, 1973.
1. Secretary of State William P. Rogers met with President of the Republic of Colombia Misael Pastrana Borrero at Casa Bolivar, Bogota, Colombia, May 18, 1973, at 11 am. Participants were: Colombian side—President Pastrana, FonMin Alfredo Vazquez Carrizosa; US side—Secretary Rogers, Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs Jack Kubish, US Ambassador to Colombia Leonard J. Saccio.
2. The President noted first the importance of reviving the InterAmerican System—that it should perform much more effectively in the economic field. The Secretary indicated and the Foreign Minister agreed that the two had had a very constructive talk the day before on the subject.
3. On the Law of the Sea the President referred to the conclusions of the Santo Domingo conference last year; that the Latin American countries had almost all agreed to the basic Colombian proposal of the patrimonial sea. There remains Brazil which once it decides to accept the Colombian proposal will carry the two remaining countries, Peru and Ecuador. The President believes Brazil can be persuaded. Colombia is in a special position having coastlines both in the Pacific and the Atlantic (Caribbean). The Caribbean requires a special regimen being a mare nostrum. The Secretary suggested that Colombia was in a better position to urge agreement among the Hemisphere nations and that he would appreciate such an effort. The US would be suspected of trying to dominate these countries if it tried to get such agreement.
4. The President noted that the relations between our two countries are very satisfactory and expressed his gratitude for our assistance in his program of economic development and social progress. He empha [Page 691] sized the importance of the social factor and mentioned specifically the education program in which there has been added some one million places at the elementary level; the health loan—the first of its kind in the world; the recently signed low-cost housing loan and the Urban Regional Sector Loan in the development of 42 cities (population 30,000 to 100,000) to stem the flow of migration to the four big cities.
5. As to the terms and conditions of loan assistance he repeated what he had told the Ambassador and Mr. Weissman earlier in the week as to the nature of his problem, namely the lack of flexibility in solving budgetary problems to meet changing conditions once sectoral loans are signed. This was not to say he disagrees with the conditions of the loans. He is a firm believer in self-help and the need for a national effort. The proof is in how Colombia has performed in this regard. The Secretary said this matter would be reviewed on his return to Washington.
6. The President then turned to coffee and made an impassioned plea that the US adopt a positive long-term policy both from the point of view of the benefit to the US in being responsive to the most important problem of substantial number of Hemisphere countries and from that of the importance economically and socially to these countries. He emphasized the importance of a positive view by the United States even if quote we don’t come to an agreement unquote.
7. In his presentation he made the following points:
(A) that Colombia very much wants continuation of an effective international agreement.
(B) That President Nixon’s report to the US Congress on coffee pointed up that the price of coffee had risen a moderate percentage compared to the very substantial percentage increase in the other food products over a period of years.
(C) That coffee was a small farmer’s business in Colombia, some two million out of a population of twenty-two million depending on it for their livelihood.
(D) That distribution of the proceeds of coffee production represents one of the best methods of the equitable distribution of wealth in the country.
(E) That the current price of coffee is at the same level it was thirty years ago.
(F) That US policy on coffee is of extreme importance since coffee is a major factor in the economy of fourteen countries;
(G) In explaining the importance of the factor of equitable distribution of wealth, the President stated that 38 cents of each coffee dollar went to the producer, the rest is used in the economic and social development of the coffee area (including health, school and family services).
[Page 692]8. The Secretary asked what was the reason for the creation of the Producer’s Corporation (intended to manage the market) if Colombia is so concerned that the international pact be continued. The President explained that the present high price of coffee is due to special circumstances and is unlikely to be maintained indefinitely. The coffee cycle is usually three years which means that they would be faced again with the problem of low prices in the near future. He said that Colombia is very much concerned that there be stability of economic policy. He implied that the corporation was of a temporary nature by saying that it was exploratory and an experiment and at the present time the best and easiest device that could be adopted to manage the market. The Secretary noted the existence of such a corporation would be considered a Cartel operation by our Congress. The President acknowledged this difficulty but said it was important that the Executive Branch (of the US) should be on their side. He emphasized again that Colombia was interested in stability rather than speculation; that in this respect the pact had been a good experience and they wanted very much that it be continued.
9. President Pastrana addressed himself to the military assistance program and emphasized the need for adequate equipment to fight guerrillas and possibly clear them out from the remote inaccessible areas of the country. He realized that some of our difficulties are due to the fact that our two countries have different budget years, and hoped that problems of this sort would be solved since it was far better for Colombia to buy armaments from the US than from other countries. He mentioned the requirements for helicopters but did not go into detail. The Ambassador noted that he was ready to discuss a five-year plan with the President on the entire military assistance program, that time had not permitted him to do so before the arrival of the Secretary.
10. On the subject of drug abuse, the President noted that he had appointed a new Minister of Justice, a young man with drive who is determined to resolve the problems of organization and coordination, he mentioned the proposed law that had been approved by the Senate and would surely be approved by the House of Representatives when Congress met in regular session in July; also the recent decree providing for the destruction of confiscated drugs. He assured the Secretary that his government was determined to tackle the problem with all its resources and he welcomed our cooperation. He mentioned the need for equipment, at which point the Ambassador informed him that we had been authorized to make available equipment in connection with the organization of the program of the new Minister, a sum of over $400,000.
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Summary: Pastrana and Rogers discussed the inter-American system, law of the sea, military and economic assistance, coffee policy, and narcotics.
Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Files, 1970–1973, POL COL–US. Confidential; Immediate. Repeated to Bogotá. Rogers was in Jamaica as part of a May 12–28 trip to Latin America. The Department prepared a background paper on Colombian coffee for the Secretary. (Ibid.) On May 11, Nixon wrote to Pastrana that the Colombians should feel free to raise any matters with Rogers. (Ibid., Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 751, Presidential Correspondence, Republic of Colombia, Bogotá, Dr. Misael Pastrana Borrero) In telegram 4363 from Bogotá, May 26, the Ambassador transmitted a summary of Rogers’s May 17 meeting with Vázquez, in which they discussed the law of the sea, the Quita Sueño issue, the OAS structure, and the transfer of U.S. technology to the Soviets. (Ibid., RG 59, Central Files, 1970–1973, ORG 7 S)
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