Gerald Ford

“ He is sinister and slippery, always the man in a hurry.
Kissinger: That's right. He is quite ruthless. Dayan would be the best because he understands it. Rabin actually understands but he is vain and he wants to preempt the hawks. He dances around and winds up where he doesn't want to be.
Wilson: Last summer Rabin sounded quite reasonable on the West Bank. Now Hussein is trying to become the spokesman for all the Palestinians. ”

“ He is actually writing his own speeches.
Kissinger: He has the advantage now that he doesn't have to face you at question time in the House.
Wilson: Mrs. Thatcher is being criticized for not speaking enough. She is being called a reluctant debutante. Of course, I never attack people unless I am attacked. I always answer in the spirit of the question. ”

“ Our economists agree that American unemployment has peaked and will drop. The unemployment level is now pretty stable at 8.9-9%. Allowing, however, for seasonal adjustment, unemployment dropped between 400,000 to 600,000, a substantial drop. ”

“ There would be valedictory speeches only.
Kissinger: You know that the Turks don't want Makarios to be there, but Denktash.
Callaghan: Yes. I gather. Mintoff will make trouble on relations with the Arabs and he may hold that until we all get there.
Kissinger: The conference could end on Thursday and we could then stay on Friday for bilaterals. The press in the United States would get very impatient if it drags on. They are already saying there has been no accomplishment. ”

“ Moro is so weak. The Socialists are working in combination with the Communist Party and are not interested in any other way.
Wilson: On Portugal, the Socialists are meeting in Stockholm next week. Soares will be there. Palme wants to help him.
Ford: What kind of leader is he?
Callaghan: He has charisma but makes mistakes. But he is the only possible leader.
Ford: House action on Turkey was a real tragedy. ”

“ At the moment, I am tilting to Option II. After the meetings with Sadat and Rabin, we will state in some way what is the best answer. Maybe it would be in a speech or a message to Congress. For now, we are taking criticism for holding everyone at arms length. But we are not being vindictive. We are trying to keep everyone calm.
Kissinger: They are staying quiet partly because everyone is trying to see how the reassessment comes out.
Wilson: What about the Soviets? ”

“ The issue has to be handled globally. It is bad for the United States to be a reserve for the Soviets.
Callaghan: The Commonwealth is talking about a ten-million ton reserve.
Kissinger: We are thinking of a 30-million-ton reserve globally. ”

“ Callaghan: These problems are as much political as economic. At the Commonwealth Conference, after shouting into the mikes people then began to talk sense. The same thing will happen at the special UN session. ”