Philippines
344. Memorandum of Conversation, Washington, April 10, 1976, 11 a.m.
Kissinger, Habib, and Sullivan discussed the U.S. base negotiations with the Philippines.
Source: National Archives, Record Group 59, Secretary of State Kissinger’s Lot File, E5403, Box 16. Top Secret; Nodis. Fleck drafted the memorandum. The meeting occurred in Kissinger’s office.
345. Memorandum From Thomas J. Barnes of the National Security Council Staff to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Scowcroft), Washington, April 12, 1976.
Barnes described the opening session of the U.S.-Philippine base negotiations.
Source: Ford Library, National Security Adviser, Presidential Country Files for East Asia and the Pacific, Box 15, Philippines (4). Confidential. Urgent; Sent for information. Attached but not published are Tab A, an undated briefing memorandum from Habib to Kissinger providing a list of participants at the session, and Tab B, the undated statement of Romulo. Tab C, the press statement, is not attached.
346. Memorandum of Conversation, Washington, April 13, 1976, 11:08–11:30 a.m.
Ford, Romulo, and Kissinger discussed U.S. politics and the base negotiations.
Source: Ford Library, National Security Adviser, Memoranda of Conversation, April 13, 1976. Secret; Nodis. The meeting was held in the Oval Office. Ford’s talking points from Scowcroft, which the President saw, assert that the meeting “is meant as a courtesy call to welcome Secretary Romulo to the United States and to underline the importance you attach to our military base negotiations which began on April 12, as well as our bilateral economic negotiations which started March 29.”
347. Telegram 9671 From the Embassy in the Philippines to the Department of State, July 3, 1976, 0628Z.
The Embassy in Manila reported on the base negotiations between the United States and the Philippines.
Source: National Archives, Record Group 59, Central Foreign Policy Files. Confidential; Exdis; Stadis; Eyes Only.
348. Telegram 169597 From the Department of State to the Embassy in the Philippines, July 8, 1976, 2313Z.
The Department responded to Sullivan’s telegram about the Philippine base negotiations and emphasized that the United States Government was not wedded to a particular negotiating schedule.
Source: National Archives, Record Group 59, Central Foreign Policy Files. Secret; Priority; Exdis; Stadis. Drafted by O’Donohue; cleared by Vortiz and Gleysteen; and approved by Habib. Telegram 10024 from Manila, July 10, contains Sullivan’s expectations and scenario on the upcoming negotiations and includes his view that any agreement will be expensive for the United States.
349. Memorandum From Thomas J. Barnes of the National Security Council Staff to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Scowcroft), Washington, August 6, 1976..
Barnes described the Marcos-Robinson meeting of August 6 and speculated on Philippine negotiating strategy for the base negotiations.
Source: Ford Library, National Security Adviser, Presidential Country Files for East Asia and the Pacific, Box 15, Philippines (5). Secret. Sent for urgent information. Scowcroft initialed the memorandum. At Tab A was telegram 11763 from Manila, August 6, describing Robinson’s meeting with Marcos. At Tab B was telegram 11733 from Manila, August 6, describing Marcos’ earlier meeting with Robinson and Sullivan. At Tab C was the aide memoire from Marcos contained in telegram 11734 from Manila, August 6. At Tab D was Romulo’s August 3 interview with the London Times.
350. Minutes of the Secretary of State’s Staff Meeting, Washington, August 16, 1976, 8:10 a.m..
Kissinger and his staff discussed the base negotiations with Marcos.
Source: National Archives, RG 59, Transcripts of Secretary of State Kissinger’s Staff Meetings, 1973–1977, E5177, Box 11. Secret. The meeting was held in the Secretary’s conference room of the Department of State.
351. Memorandum From William Gleysteen of the National Security Council Staff to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Scowcroft), Washington, September 2, 1976.
Gleysteen gave Scowcroft an account of the Philippine base negotiations
Source: Ford Library, National Security Adviser, NSC Staff for East Asia and Pacific Affairs Convenience File, Box 31, Next Steps in the Philippine Base Negotiations. Secret. Hyland initialed the approve option on behalf of Scowcroft. At the end of the document, after the phrase “hold off any specific,” Hyland wrote, “or a memo to President first.” An NSC meeting to discuss both the Philippine base negotiations and assistance to Zaire was scheduled, but then cancelled and not rescheduled. (Ford Library, NSC Institutional Files (H-Files), Box H–25, NSC Meetings)
352. Letter From Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld to Secretary of State Kissinger, Washington, September 13, 1976.
Rumsfeld expressed his views on the base negotiations and indicated he was willing to meet Romulo later in the month.
Source: Washington National Records Center, OASD/ISA Files: FRC 330–79–0037, Philippines, 680.1–, August–December 1976. Secret.
353. Memorandum From the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Scowcroft) to President Ford, Washington, undated.
Scowcroft presented Ford with key issues in our base negotiations with the Philippines.
Source: Ford Library, NSC Institutional Files (H-Files), Box H–40, NSSM 235, U.S. Interests and Objectives in the Asia-Pacific Region (2 of 2) (10). Secret. Sent for action. The memorandum was probably written shortly before Kissinger’s October 6 meeting with Romulo. Ford initialed his approval of the recommendations concerning the Reed Bank, option one concerning compensation, and timing. Tab B, presenting Marcos’s request, and Tab F, the maps, are not attached.
354. Telegram 250861 From the Department of State to the Embassy in the Philippines, October 8, 1976, 1609Z.
The Department reported on Kissinger’s discussion with Romulo.
Source: Library of Congress, Henry Kissinger Papers, CL 205, Philippines, 1974–76. Secret; Immediate; Nodis. Fleck drafted, David Passage of S cleared, and Hummel approved the telegram.
355. Memorandum From Kenneth M. Quinn of the National Security Council Staff to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Scowcroft), Washington, October 8, 1976.
[text not declassified in time for publication]
Source: Ford Library, National Security Adviser, Presidential Country Files for East Asia and the Pacific, Box 15, Philippines (5). Secret; Sensitive. Sent for information. Scowcroft initialed the upper right hand corner of the document. Theodore Shackley, the Associate Deputy Director for Operations at the CIA, produced a memorandum for the record, October 4, describing the meeting between Romulo and Bush. ( Central Intelligence Agency, OPI 10 [Executive Registry], Job 79M00467A, Box 23, Folder Number 15, P – 9: Philippines [426])
356. Telegram 267549 From the Department of State to the Embassy in the Philippines, November 24, 1976, 0015Z.
The Department reported on Kissinger’s November 23 meeting with Romulo.
Source: Ford Library, National Security Adviser, Presidential Country Files for East Asia and the Pacific, Box 16, Philippines, State Department Telegrams From SECSTATE-NODIS. Secret; Immediate; Nodis. Drafted by Fleck; cleared by Hummel and Sebastian; approved by Habib. Telegram 287342 to Manila, November 23, provides the verbatim text of the aide-memoire that Romulo gave to Kissinger. (National Archives, Record Group 59, Central Foreign Policy Files)
357. Telegram 18586 From the Embassy in the Philippines to the Department of State, November 29, 1976, 0824Z.
The Embassy in Manila analyzed the negotiations between the United States and the Philippines.
Source: Ford Library, National Security Adviser, Presidential Country Files for East Asia and the Pacific, Box 16, Philippines, State Department Telegrams To SECSTATE–NODIS (2). Secret; Nodis.
358. Telegram 293490 From the Department of State to the Embassy in the Philippines, December 2, 1976, 0118Z.
The Department reported on Kissinger’s December 1 discussion with Romulo.
Source: Library of Congress, Henry Kissinger Papers, CL 277, Memoranda of Conversations, Chronological File, December 1976. Secret; Immediate; Nodis. Drafted and approved by Habib. At a 9:59 a.m. meeting with Ford and Scowcroft on December 3, Kissinger said, “We will announce agreement in principle with the Philippines Saturday. We offered them $1 billion and they asked for $2 billion. I said okay, deal with Carter. Then I told Romulo he was crazy; Carter would badger them on human rights, etc. He bought our proposals in Mexico City totally.” (Ford Library, National Security Adviser, Memoranda of Conversation, Box 21)
359. Memorandum From the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Scowcroft) to President Ford, Washington, December 3, 1976.
Scowcroft presented Ford with information on the Philippine base negotiations.
Source: Ford Library, National Security Adviser, NSC Staff for East Asia and Pacific Affairs Convenience File, Box 31, Breakthrough in Philippine Base Negotiations. Secret; Sensitive. Sent for information. Ford initialed the memorandum. The draft of the joint U.S.-Philippine statement is ibid., Presidential Country Files for East Asia and the Pacific, Box 15, Philippines (5)
360. Telegram 295628 From the Department of State to the Embassy in the Philippines, December 4, 1976, 0159Z.
Habib transmitted to Sullivan an account of the collapse of negotiations.
Source: National Archives, Record Group 59, Central Foreign Policy Files. Secret; Niact; Immediate. Drafted and approved by Habib; cleared in S/S.
361. Telegram 19864 From the Embassy in the Philippines to the Department of State, December 23, 1976, 0900Z.
The Embassy in Manila reported the Philippine negotiating position and recommended that the new U.S. administration consider paying rental for bases in the Philippines.
Source: National Archives, Record Group 59, Central Foreign Policy Files. Secret; Nodis.
362. Letter From Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld to Secretary of State Kissinger, Washington, December 29, 1976.
Rumsfeld recommended that Kissinger direct Sullivan to inform Marcos that the United States is unwilling to pay rent for its bases in the Philippines.
Source: Washington National Records Center, OSD Files: FRC 330–79–0049, Philippines, 323.3, 29 December 1976. Secret.