1-UNCLASSIFIED U S Department of State Case No F-2001-02979 Doc No C18088925 Dat S 12- 1 TELECON Mr WX Edward Littlefield The Secretary August 26 1974 7 00p m L Mr Secretary K Mr lK Littlefield I wanted to talk to you about a conversation I had yesterday with Chuck Robinson about the position we are offering him in the Department He ruis a very strong moral feeling that he wants to be sure you understand what we have in mind · He also took the liberty of telling me some of the concerns you had expressed to him Could I make a few observations to you L Sure K In terms of hierarchal k position Undersecretary of state for Economic Affairs is not the ultimate destination of Robinson I think Robinson is a man who should be given Cabinet status I think in terms of influence it is one of the two or three key positions now in the government Before I called you I talked to President Ford and Bill Simon to make sure absolutely sure my concept of the job coincided with theirs' and to make sure the President agrees with the approach There are several things I need here First what I need here ••• I need someone to turn the state Department into a disciplined economic and political unit to deal with foreign policy implications in these areas Rather than just a negotiating instrument that sort of waffles around the world trying to get along Secondly I would think perhaps the most important political asset we have is economic power In relation to the rest of the world we are extremely strong We may be facing an economic crisis that will require the Bxk best_ This strategy cannot be deveoped unless the state Department takes concentrated interest in it Since I have been down here there have been five or six rmjor decisions which we took on strict e onomic grounds for which we could have requested corresponding political consideration If we could have stipulated political cons ide rations in return we could have benefited greatly Vfhen we per mi tted the Europeans to trade in gold in June we did it strictly as a Treasury matter • We could have gotten a hell of a lot more for it than we did This was something the French really wanted • The problem then is how to relate this With a good Sbte Department person in economics we would figure out this oil situation I am quite good in designing the foreign policy constructively I have no idea how to relate economics here I need someone here to turn over the APPEALS PANEL ACTION RELEASED IN FULLJ 1 UNCLASSIFIED U S Department of State Case No F-2001-02979 Doc No C18088925 Date 09 12 2013 UNCLASSIFIED U S Department of State Case No F-2001-02979 Doc No C18088925 Date 09 12 2013 -2economic side to · The only other Department he needs to worry about is Treasury In relation to that he has an impactfhrough me in these decisions which is going to be absolrlely decisive I have discussed this with President Ford and he totally agrees with this and hopes we can persuade Robinson to come here I wanted to talke to you myself to give you some sense of how we saw this job There hasn't been anybody of major substance in it since George Ball and before that Dillon L While I appreciate your calling Run not sure you know that· I think Chuck Robinson is a top quality fellow and I think he is a fellow that would fulfill this job in very good fashion I am not quite sure what you had hoped I would do to assist you in this regard K The major problem I felt yesterday was that if he decided to t do this you thought he was doing something important and wasn't gi$g up hi responsibilities to his company for a second level job · L There isn't any real question in in y mind that it is a first rate job I thought he was a fellow who had Cabinet-level qualities There are jobs and this I would be quick to say is one of them that have more impact on the scheme of things than some Cabinet jobs ••• which I woi_l't name · K I said to the President this job is unfortunately more influential than Secretary of Commerce And he agreed L I think that is true My good friend Fred Dent would agree do not have much influence ---- K On forei policy L I think the problem with ChUck is that he does have a problem here on two scores He has a problem on the particular state of affairs of a company and· he has an obligation to others because we are not the single shareholders and he also has an obligation to the staff which he almost personally recruited and which doesn't rea ly have in it the depth or steength · His other problem is personal ••• which I won't go into I will not say anything beyond that He and I did not discuss it this time· but when he was thinking about this a year and a half ago it loomed large in his consideration Whether or not it does today I am not sure · I am not arguing this on the grounds that this position is insignificant ·He and I have had a long relationship and I think he knows pretty much without my telling him what my thoughts are I will only tel lllm Godspeed from myself when he makes his decision The firm will not fare as well without him as with him 1 UNCLASSIFIED U S Department of State Case No F-2001-02979 Doc No C18088925 Date 09 12 2013 JJNCLApSIFIED U S Department of State Case No F-2001-02979 Doc No C18088925 Date 09 12 2013 -3K No I know that is true L You have hit him at a time that is not very good for him ••• in terms of all these things Six months from now it may be different K The problem I face is I have been holding off for monthsi filling this position but now we are at a critcial periodin our relationship with the rest of the world We have no prayer bringing off the oil problem if we don't have a top flight man in the job I cannot wait six months L I was not suggesting you should wait In the last analysis Chuck Rd inson is going to have to make the decision He knows how I feel I don't think he has discussed it with any of his other directors He will have to weight this against what he thinks is right K That I understand and rea ly all one can ask of you is if he does decidel i to do it that you wish him Godspeed · L 1 have tried not to deaden the position K The personal matter you mentioned · Is that something that is apt to come up in a confirmation hearing L No it is strictly 'personal family-type problem Nothing that I think would be in any way embarrassing to him or to you K In that case if it is essentially private there is no need to discuss it I appreciate very much your discussing this with me and I will talk tlrJ to Chuck Robinson again and see where he comes out L I will of course tell him you and I l e ve talked and the essence of the conversation K Of course Have we ever met L Yes several times Mostly through Dave Packard when you were at the Grove and then when I was Vice Chairman of the Venice Council We were dinner companions at the Mayflower K Yes I remember very well L It is mostly through Dave we have had contact 1 UNCLASSIFIED U S Department of State Case No F-2001-02979 Doc No C18088925 Date 09 12 2013 UNC SSIFIED U S Department of State Case No F-2001-02979 Doc No C18088925 Date 09 12 2013 -4- man K He is a great I will talk to Robinson again tomorrow after you have had a chance to ta1ke to him Good to talk to you L Boodbye END 1 UNCLASSIFIED U S Department of State Case No F-2001-02979 Doc No C18088925 Date 09 12 2013