Office of the Historian

73. Letter From President Reagan to the Chairman of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (Brandt)1

Washington, November 4, 1981
Dear Mr. Brandt:

Thank you for your letter of September 11, 1981,2 and for the contribution which you and other members of the Independent Commission on International Development Issues have made in bringing global economic issues to the attention of governments and of the public.

As you know by now, the International Meeting on Cooperation and Development in Cancun, Mexico, was an extremely constructive and positive meeting. We demonstrated how useful a dialogue can be when it is frank, substantive and free of recrimination. I sincerely hope that we can move forward in this same spirit. Too much time has been wasted on words and conferences. We need to turn our attention to the practical issues and institutions where real progress has been achieved and can be further accelerated.

I am convinced that our approach to development must emphasize two efforts—the effort to revive world growth and expand open trade, investment and financial relations, and the effort to provide cooperative assistance to achieve self-sustaining growth in the poor countries, particularly in food and energy.

While foreign assistance remains a vital factor for development in many countries, constructive efforts to expand global trade and increase domestic and international private investment play an even more important role in many countries. The GATT Ministerial in 1982 offers the best hope to defeat protectionism and continue the trade liberalization process with developing countries’ interests very much in mind. And efforts are underway in the World Bank and the IMF to use assistance more effectively to help poorer countries acquire capabilities and attract investment, ultimately earning their own way as full participants in the international economic system.

I appreciate the personal contribution you made to the process that brought us to Cancun and look forward to your continuing ideas and assistance in the great task ahead.

Sincerely,

Ronald Reagan
  1. Source: Reagan Library, Douglas McMinn Files, Economic Summit Files, Mexico—Follow up. No classification marking. An identical letter was sent to Shridath Ramphal, Commonwealth Secretary General. (Ibid.)↩
  2. The letter is attached but not printed. Brandt served as the Chairman of the Independent Commission on International Development Issues. See footnote 2, Document 27.↩