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Conversation 756-008

TapeTape 756StartFriday, July 28, 1972 at 11:37 AMEndFriday, July 28, 1972 at 11:54 AMParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President);  Neto, Antonio D.;  Castro, Joao Augusto de Araujo;  Haig, Alexander M., Jr.;  White House photographer;  [Unknown person(s)];  Bull, Stephen B.Recording deviceOval Office
AudioNARA Description

On July 28, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon, Antonio D. Neto, Joao Augusto de Araujo Castro, Alexander M. Haig, Jr., White House photographer, unknown person(s), and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House from 11:37 am to 11:54 am. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 756-008 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid
Conversation No. 756-8

Date: July 28, 1972
Time: 11:37 am - 11:54 am
Location: Oval Office

The President met with Antonio D. Neto, Joao Augusto de Araujo Castro, and Alexander M.
Haig, Jr. The White House photographer was present at the beginning of the conversation.

     Introductions
                                                19

                        NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                       Tape Subject Log
                                         (rev. Mar-02)



     Arrangements for photograph session
          -Seating

     Emilio Garrastazu Medici
          -Health
          -Relations with US

     Photographs
          -Copies
               -Distribution

     Medici
         -Greetings
         -Meeting with John B. Connally
              -International monetary order

     Neto
            -Connally’s view
                 -California

     Latin America
          -National economies
                -Brazil
                     -Importance
                          -Argentina
                -Brazil’s example
                     -Political stability
                          -Investment

     Argentina
         -Wealth
         -Political stability
         -Unknown finance ministers
                -Successions
                      -Effect on policymaking

     [Unintelligible]

An unknown person entered at an unknown time after 11:37 am.

     Refreshments

The unknown person left at an unknown time before 11:54 am.
                                       20

                NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                               Tape Subject Log
                                 (rev. Mar-02)



Coffee
     -Blends

Neto’s schedule
    -George P. Shultz
           -Compared to Connally
           -US-Brazilian cooperation

Brazil
     -US policy
     -Inflation
            -Current rate
                 -Compared to 1964
     -Development of interior
            -Roads
     -Education
            -Aid
                 -Gross National Product [GNP]
     -Northeast region
            -Investments
                 -Income tax exemptions
                 -Redistribution
            -Agriculture
                 -Soybeans, sorghum, cotton
            -Climate
                 -Compared to Texas
                 -Savannah
            -Cattle
                 -Hoof and mouth disease
                 -Exports
                      -Compared to 1964
     -Sheep
            -Growing regions
     -The President’s impressions
            -Rio de Janeiro
            -Sao Paolo
                 -Growth
     -Status of geographic regions
            -Inequities
     -National problems
            -Medici
     -US investment
            -Oil[?]
                                                21

                      NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                      Tape Subject Log
                                        (rev. Mar-02)



     Bolivia
          -Natural gas project
               -Connally’s concern
               -Brazilian investment
                     -Oil
                     -Unknown places

     Henry Kearns
         -Relationship with the President
         -Forthcoming report

     Lt. Gen. Vernon A. Walters
          -Possible conversation with Neto
          -Current position
                -Central Intelligence Agency [CIA]
          -Possible conversation with Neto
                -Chile, Bolivia

     The President’s schedule
          -Brazil
                -Conversation with Medici
                     -1972 election

     Brazil
          -Population
                -Average age
          -People’s outlook
                -Educational opportunities
          -National economy
                -Labor force
          -Population

Stephen B. Bull entered at an unknown time after 11:37 am.

     The President’s schedule
          -[Jack D. Maltester]

Bull left at an unknown time before 11:54 am.

          -Medici
               -The President’s forthcoming response to letters
               -Message from the President
                    -Meeting with Connally and Arthur F. Burns
                                                   22

                         NIXON PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS STAFF

                                         Tape Subject Log
                                           (rev. Mar-02)


                         -Medici’s visit
                         -US-Brazilian relations

Neto, Castro, and Haig left at 11:54 am.
Transcript (AI-Generated)

This transcript was generated automatically by AI and has not been reviewed for accuracy. Do not cite this transcript as authoritative. Consult the Finding Aid above for verified information.

Mr. President, Mr. President, Mr. President, Mr. President, Mr. President, Mr. President, Mr. President, Mr. President, Mr. President, Mr. President, Mr. President, Mr. President, Mr. President, Mr. President,
Go ahead.
Your president is in good health.
Yes.
All right.
Thank you.
Send copies of the picture to the ambassador and we'll give it to him to release back.
Yes, sir.
Thank you very much.
We appreciate you saying that, too.
to have the same ideas about what must be a new one-time international order from the President.
I believe it would be very useful for us to continue to do the same work as he has.
Well, actually, you know, I mean, not Mr. Kressinger here, but you'd be pleased to know that when I saw Secretary Connolly
And it's very important because you're the biggest country.
What you do affects all the others enormously.
And the fact and the example you set can help the others.
I mean, I would hope that our friends in the Argentine, for example, and other countries would see that, you know, by management of the, you know, management of the fiscal, how do you deal about the rest of it?
And I'm not worried about yours, but I'm worried about the others.
I'm an economics guy, but are some of them, if they can just, you know, if they can follow Brazil's pattern by a sound, responsible economic policy and by political stability, you attract investment, right?
Yes.
But if you don't have it, it goes away.
I think Argentina is a very rich country.
And if they can find some political stability, I'm sure in one or two years, Argentina will find its own way.
How is it there in Spanish?
I did one years, four or five years ago, it was very... You have the same one?
Yeah.
This was a bad example of my actual man.
But he's out now, huh?
Yeah, he's out now.
Oh, in fact... Out of that job.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
And three years, I think, it was, yeah.
Since they had had maybe five or six, ten or so ministers, it's impossible to remember.
I mean, six months, it's very difficult to remember.
Would you bring us some coffee, please?
Brazilian coffee.
With a little coffee and a mixed tip.
Tell me, is there anything that we can do
to be a closer cooperation.
You're seeing Schultz?
Yes.
Have you seen him already?
Yes.
No, I haven't seen him.
He's a very intelligent man.
and understands, and he has a background like you have in this field.
Connolly has no background in economics, but Shultz is an economist, which is a good thing.
And I want you to be sure that Shultz knows that no move on any Latin American policy would be an economic deal without consulting with the President.
That's our policy issue, and I'm sure he knows.
And like, for example, if we can move together,
And that will have a very great effect.
Very great effect.
You're doing pretty well on inflation, aren't you?
This year we hope to have it only 15%.
But that used to be 85%.
It was in 1964.
And it's coming down slowly, but it's coming down.
So I think it's important.
And your whole program for developing interiors is going very fast.
We have consulting a lot of new roads and we have putting a lot of money in education.
We are now spending from 5 to 6% of GNP in education.
What is the situation, Mr. Minister, in the Northeast, you know, where it's so poor?
You're putting a lot of money there, too.
Yes.
Education.
Yes, we are transferring.
We are giving a tax, income tax exemption for investment in Northeastern.
So a corporation can use half of its income tax and use it in Northeastern.
By this way we are conceding now something like from 300 to 400 million dollars per year from South to North-East.
Now we are trying to develop a better agricultural sector in North-East.
We are making research to find new seeds in soybean and sorghum.
We believe in cotton.
Because the climate there is more like our, more like Texas maybe.
I see so.
Rather than, I see, it is a tranquil time.
No, no, see it's like Texas.
Yeah, yeah.
It's a, really it's a savannah.
Yeah, it's a savannah.
Right, right, right.
Clearly the trees can't, can't move.
We have to move.
We are increasing our export of cattle.
We have exported 64 million dollars and this year we will export 150 million dollars.
We have had some problems.
the health legislation we used phd but now we have changed and we are exporting
Oh yes, we can take that.
Yeah, in other words, the kind that you can.
And of course, in some countries where they do not have significant cattle, there's no problem.
It's only where you have a cattle business.
You're only going to be concerned about any kind of disease coming in.
It affects the cows or whatever it is.
I think one of the things that impressed me about Brazil, in addition to the cuisine here, is the city here.
I've always been to Rio before, on this planet, but this is there.
100% of the human population.
It's a great city here.
I think that's what it was here to go to.
The south is going very well.
The north is going very well.
North-east is really our problem.
Trying to reduce the level of inequalities in the region.
Well, the trouble, the trouble, Mr. Minister, was a big country.
I mean, a country big or small, we have problems.
The trouble is, in a big country, the problems are big.
So, President Medici and I have something in common.
We've been big problems.
They're never small, are they?
Never small.
But, uh, the economy seems really expensive.
No, we don't.
We don't.
Is there quite a bit of American investment coming in?
Yes.
Well, America is the main investment in Brazil.
Your situation.
I want both of you to kind of express your concern for the Medi-Chiefs of Maryland, because I was kind of raised in Maine.
Does it look a little better than anything else?
I know you're in France.
Yes, we are.
Well, I think as Presidente mentioned, I informed you, we're putting, we're trying to do all which is in our capacity today.
Right.
And just now we are trying to develop a new project bringing us
from Santa Cruz de la Sierra, to Columbar, from Columbar to Ribeirão Preto, in the state of São Paulo.
We will talk with Mr. Cairns in my next trip.
Henry, yeah, yeah, he's a great fellow, a great friend of mine, you know.
I got him 25 years.
He's really a good guy.
Oh, yes, he's really a good guy.
He's always going to be a great person.
A useful person is a person on social networks.
personal places would be honored to be general walters walters is a very great friend uh did you see him on this trip well he's great he's now our deputy director of cia and i think i think the general always see a visitor
you know, this chance to get your run down.
And if you would, I'd like you, without telling me, getting any of your concerns about your neighbors and others on the confidential page, you can trust him completely.
He'll put it back in his mind.
And then Mike, for example, Joey, Olivia, and so forth, we were keeping in touch, you know, on that sort of thing.
And it's exciting to know that, you know,
We can work together on this.
I hold some time to come to your country.
We have an election coming up.
I told President Medici, I said, now, he asked me, he invited me.
I said, well, we survived the election.
If we don't, I said, I'll come.
But I'll come again.
Because there's so much to see there.
There's so much to see.
Exciting place.
Tell me, your population is a young population.
Yes, very young.
Well, average age is, I think, 23 years.
23?
Yes.
How about that?
It started in my mind.
Isn't that wonderful?
23 years.
How do your young people feel?
Do they feel optimistic about their future?
I see.
So they are now with these tremendous increase in the educational opportunities.
I think they clearly feel very confident about the future of the country.
And I think they have reason, because in Brazil now you have, for one people in the labor force, you have three people in the population.
The relation is almost one to three.
And in the other countries, maybe in the States, I think it's one to 1.5.
So there is a lot of improvement we are doing in the future.
And 40% of our population is less than 15 years.
40% less than 15 years.
Well, providing the jobs for them and everything is hard, but on the other hand, they are an enormous asset because that's a new word for us.
Yeah, it's bigger than 40%.
Your population now over here is what?
I will respond to these letters personally, of course.
uh, the President, and you expressed my very best wishes to him and told him how much I appreciate that you're receiving, uh, the technology and, uh, that, uh, we, uh, we remember all of us in this visit here, and we value our closest relationship.
Every entity and confidence in us all, we just need to be concerned and keep it.
But we've got to work together for a stable,
prosperous hemisphere between Brazil and the U.S. so we should be able to learn very well.
Not that the others won't matter again.
Brazil is wicked.
Thank you.
Well, thank you very much.
Good to see you.
Good to see you.
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