MEMORANDUM OF DECLASSIFIED CONVERSATION – 8 Oct 1976: Secretary Kissinger vs Acting FM Hussein Abdulkadir Kassim

DATE: October 8, 1976
TIME: 3:45 p.m.

PLACE: Secretary’s apartment at the Waldorf-Astoria, New York

KISSINGER: What does “Acting Foreign Minister” mean?
KASSIM: I am the Minister for Minerals and Water, but I
have represented the Government at a number of international
conferences .
ADDOU: He is the de facto Foreign Minister.
KISSINGER: How long have you been in New York?
KASSIM: Over two weeks. In a few days I will return home,
but . I may not go straight back. I may stop en route.
KISSINGER: It sounds like you have already made your mind
up to stop.
KASSIM: I try to take care of the interests of my country
and do so without fanfare.
KISSINGER: For a medium-sized country, you make a lot of
news.
KASSIM: It all depends on the way the wind blows. Is it
we who make the news or others who create conditions that force
us to act?

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