Foreign Relations of the United States, 1981–1988, Volume XXXVIII, International Economic Development; International Debt; Foreign Assistance

77. Memorandum From the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Allen) to Multiple Recipients¹

Washington, November 28, 1981

SUBJECT

• President’s Policy on World Development

Before and at Cancun, the President put forward a politically and intellectually powerful case on world development issues. The attached cable and recent article from Fortune magazine indicate the highly favorable response to the President’s initiative.² Now there is another point of view being discussed in the development dialogue besides the NIEO and Brandt Commission perspective.

As the Fortune article says, “The Brandt Commission report might well have set the terms of the discussion at Cancun had it not been for the new U.S. policy, which puts things in an entirely different perspective.”

We should sustain this intellectual and political counter-offensive by putting forward our own ideas (e.g. on Global Negotiations, regional development in the Caribbean, etc.). We can avoid a posture of merely reacting to the ideas of others by charting a clear course. Other countries, even when they disagree with us, find this posture easier to deal with than indecision.

FOR THE PRESIDENT:

Richard V. Allen
Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs

1. Source: Reagan Library, Douglas McMinn Files, Economic Summit Files, Mexico—Follow-Up. No classification marking. Sent to Haig, Regan, Meese, Kirkpatrick, Brock, Baker, and Deaver. Copies were sent to Anderson, Darman, Fuller, Gergen, McPherson, and Weidenbaum.
2. Telegram 6587 from Ottawa, October 27, and the article from Fortune magazine are attached but not printed.