Office of the Historian

52. Telegram From the Department of State to Secretary of State Haig’s Delegation in New York1

Washington, September 30, 1981, 0146Z

Tosec 100108/State 261147. To the Secretary From William P. Clark. Subject: White House Prep Meeting for Cancun.

1. Jeane Kirkpatrick, Bob Hormats and I attended the White House preparatory meeting for the Cancun Summit today.2 Don Regan, Bill Brock, Ed Meese, Mike Deaver, Jim Baker and Dick Allen were the major participants. The initiatives pulled together by Bob’s working group were discussed. Additional comments will be provided by the Cabinet members attending (Regan and Brock). There seems to be broad agreement that we are on the right substantive track. The CCEA will discuss these issues further on Thursday3 at 8:45 a.m.

2. The discussion of Global Negotiations was particularly interesting. There is growing understanding in the White House that the price of isolation is high. Jeane and Bill Brock were particularly persuasive on this. As a result of the meeting, Bob and I are writing an option which permits us to join Global Negotiations but based on procedures which protect the IMF, GATT, and the World Bank. We would also make it very clear that we intended to put forward our own agenda for such negotiations, stressing an open trading system, improving the private investment climate and supporting LDC efforts to increase food and energy production. This would follow-up, and be consistent with, your UNGA speech and permit us to take the initiative in Global Negotiations. While others may not agree to our agenda, it would at least put us on the offensive.

Clark
  1. Source: Department of State, Central Foreign Policy File, Electronic Telegrams, D810460–0174. Secret; Immediate; Stadis. Drafted by Hormats; cleared by Alvin Adams (S/S) and Richard Erdman (S/S–O); approved by Clark. Haig was attending the UN General Assembly meeting in New York.↩
  2. The meeting took place on September 29 at 2:30 p.m. in the Roosevelt Room at the White House. A September 29 memorandum from Nau to Allen preparing Allen for the meeting is in the Reagan Library, Douglas McMinn Files, Economic Summit Files, Mexico—Policy. A September 29 memorandum from Hormats to Clark preparing Clark for the meeting is in the Department of State, Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs, Investment Policy Files, 1981–1984, Lot 85D193: Cancun Summit—SEN Cancun Memoranda.↩
  3. October 1. See Document 53.↩