Pacific Islands
303. Memorandum From the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger) to President Nixon, Washington, January 2, 1973.
Kissinger reported on Laird’s views of the Micronesian status negotiations and noted that the negotiations have been postponed.
Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 568, Country Files, Far East, Trust Territories, Vol. III [1 of 2]. Secret. Sent for action. Holdridge initialed the memorandum on behalf of Kissinger. On the second page, Nixon highlighted the paragraph about OEO and the Peace Corps and wrote to Kissinger: “K—this had to be written by a Peace Corps advocate.” At the bottom of the page, the President initialed his approval of the recommendation and wrote, “K with strong reservation. Laird is totally right on the Peace Corps + Legal Services.” He also noted for Erlichman: “E—get both groups out of there discreetly because of need to cut both programs.” Tab A, Kissinger’s memorandum, January 25, to the Secretary of Defense, is attached but not published, as is Tab B, Laird’s memorandum, December 4, to Nixon, and Tab C, Ambassador Williams’s letter, October 27, to Nixon.
304. Letter From the President’s Personal Representative for Micronesian Status Negotiations (Williams) to President Nixon, Washington, January 5, 1973.
Williams reported on the status of negotiations with the Marianas and the other districts of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands.
Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 568, Country Files, Far East, Trust Territories, Vol. III [1 of 2]. Confidential. On March 19, Williams sent a study to the Chairman of the NSC Under Secretaries Committee concerning the negotiations on the future political status of the Mariana Islands District of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands. (Ibid., NSC Institutional Files (H-Files), Box H–276, Under Secretaries Decision Memorandums, U/DM 98 [2 of 5])
305. Memorandum From the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger) to President Nixon, Washington, May 3, 1973.
Kissinger reported on the Under Secretaries Committee’s proposed instructions to Williams and asked Nixon to decide on the U.S. negotiating position toward Tinian.
Source: Ford Library, National Security Adviser, NSC East Asian and Pacific Affairs Staff: Files, (1969) 1973–1977, Box 36, Marianas (Working Files) [7]. Secret. Sent for action. The President initialed his approval of the first recommendation, which concerned the acquisition of Tinian, and the second recommendation, which approved the positions advocated by the USC. Tab A, draft instructions to Williams, is not attached. Tab B, the April 13 memorandum from Rush, the Chairman of the USC, to the President, is at National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Institutional Files (H-Files), Box H-276, Under Secretaries Decision Memorandums, U/DM 98 [1 of 5]. Tab C, a report from the DOS Political Advisor in the TTPI, is not attached.
306. Memorandum From the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger) to President Nixon, Washington, November 9, 1973.
Kissinger asked Nixon whether the U.S. negotiator should be authorized to offer an independence option to Micronesia in addition to the option of Free Association.
Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Institutional Files (H-Files), Box H–277, Under Secretaries Decision Memorandums, U/DM 98 [4 of 5]. Secret. Sent for action. Scowcroft initialed the memorandum on behalf of Kissinger. On page 2, Nixon underlined the phrase “I recommend that William’s authority to offer it be discretionary, to be used only if tactically necessary,” and wrote, “Very important.” On the last page, Nixon initialed his approval of the recommendation. Attached but not published are Tab A, Kissinger’s instructions to Williams, November 14, and Tab B, a November 9 memorandum from Rush to Nixon.
307. Memorandum From the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger) to President Nixon, Washington, March 25, 1974.
Kissinger informed Nixon of progress in the Micronesian status negotiations and requested authorization to draft supplemental instructions for Williams.
Source: Library of Congress, Henry Kissinger Papers, CL 299, Memoranda to the President, March 1974. Secret. Sent for Action. Nixon initialed his approval of the recommendation. Tab A, the supplementary instructions, March 29, that Kissinger sent to Williams, is attached but not published. Tab B, Williams’s January 25 letter to Nixon, and Tab C, Williams’s November 28, 1973 letter to Nixon, are both attached but not published. Tab D, Rush’s memorandum, February 23, to Nixon is not attached but is in the National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Institutional Files (H-Files), Box H–277, Under Secretaries Decision Memorandums, U/DM 98 (5 of 5). Tab E, a memorandum from OMB, is not attached.
308. Memorandum From the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger) to President Nixon, Washington, July 8, 1974.
Kissinger reported on the Micronesian status negotiations and recommended that Nixon authorize draft instructions for Williams.
Source: Ford Library, National Security Adviser, NSC East Asian and Pacific Affairs Staff: Files, (1969) 1973–1977, Box 36, Marianas (Working Files) [6]. Secret. Sent for action. Scowcoft initialed the memorandum on behalf of Kissinger. The President initialed his approval of the recommendation. Tab A, a memorandum, July 10, from Kissinger to William, is not attached but is in the National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Institutional Files (H-Files), Box H–281, Folder 6, U/N 90–149. Tab B, an April 12 letter from Williams to the President, is attached but not published. Tabs C and D, recommendations from concerned departments and agencies, are not further identified, but these recommendations are described in an attached memorandum, May 24, from Rush to the President, which stated that the Departments of State, Defense, Justice, Interior, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Office of Micronesian Status Negotiations endorsed Williams’s recommendations.
309. Memorandum From the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger) to President Ford, Washington, February 6, 1975.
Kissinger informed the President about the final stage of negotiations with the Northern Marianas and asked him to approve instructions for Williams.
Source: Ford Library, National Security Adviser, Presidential Country Files for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, Box 18, Trust Territories of the Pacific Islands (1). Confidential. Sent for action. Ford initialed his approval of the recommendation on the last page. Attached but not published is a signed copy, dated February 7, of Tab A, instructions from Kissinger to Williams. Tab B, a memorandum, January 25, from Ingersoll to Ford presenting the USC’s views of the Marianas’s future political status, is not attached but is in the National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Institutional Files (H-Files), Box H–277, Under Secretaries Decision Memorandums, U/DM 98 [5 of 5]. Tab C, from OMB, is not attached.
310. Memorandum of Conversation, Washington, March 19, 1975, 4:15 p.m.
Ford met with leaders from the Northern Marianas.
Source: Ford Library, National Security Adviser, Memoranda of Conversation, Box 10, 3/19/75. Top Secret. The conversation took place in the Oval Office. According to Ford’s talking points from Kissinger, the purpose of this meeting was “To demonstrate the importance we attach to the recently concluded Commonwealth Covenant with the Northern Marianas, and to Micronesia generally.” (Ibid.) A majority of the voters of the Northern Mariana Islands approved the Commonwealth Covenant in a plebiscite held on June 17, 1975.
311. Memorandum From the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger) to President Ford, Washington, July 24, 1975.
Kissinger recommended that Ford make Fiji eligible to make defense purchases from the U.S.
Source: Ford Library, National Security Adviser, Presidential Subject File, Box 16, Presidential Determinations, FY 1976 (1). Confidential. Sent for action. Attached but not published is Tab A, a memorandum, August 5, from Ford to the Secretary of State making Fiji eligible to purchase defense articles and services. Tab B, Ingersoll’s June 24 memorandum to Ford, is attached but not published. Tab C, a memorandum, July 6, from James Lynn of the Office of Management and Budget to Ford, is also attached but not published.
312. Memorandum From Chairman of the National Security Council Under Secretaries Committee Robinson to President Ford, Washington, May 24, 1976.
The Under Secretaries Committee asked Ford to approve instructions for Williams and discussed an interagency study on the future political status of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands.
Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Institutional Files (H-Files), Box H–277, Under Secretaries Decision Memorandums, U/DM 98 [5 of 5]. Secret. Tab 1, undated instructions for the President’s Personal Representative for Micronesian Status Negotiations, is attached but not published. Tab 2, the Interagency Study is not attached. Tab 3, a memorandum, May 24, from Associate OMB Director Donald Ogilvie to Robinson, is attached but not published. Tab 4, a map of the TTPI, is attached but not published.