The original documents are located in Box 122, folder “Colombia” of the Ron Nessen Papers at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library. Copyright Notice The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Ron Nessen donated to the United States of America his copyrights in all of his unpublished writings in National Archives collections. Works prepared by U.S. Government employees as part of their official duties are in the public domain. The copyrights to materials written by other individuals or organizations are presumed to remain with them. If you think any of the information displayed in the PDF is subject to a valid copyright claim, please contact the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library. Digitized from Box 122 of The Ron Nessen Papers at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library Press Guidance on First Meeting between Presidents Ford and Lopez The two Presidents met for __ minutes in a discussion of global, hemispheric and bilateral matters. Also present were Secretary Kissinger, General Sc.owcroft and Sr. Felipe Lopez, who is President Lopez' son and private secretary. The conversation was frank and cordial and conducted in a businesslike atmosphere. The Presidents felt that there were a number of subjects which they wanted to discuss further and decided to meet again tomorrow morning at 11:30. We will have a fuller briefing to give you at the end of that meeting. Q: Gen. Torrijos said on Tuesday that he was g1V1ng a message to President Lopez to take to President Ford. Was the message delivered and were the Panama Canal negotiations discussed? A: I'll have to check on that. (or, if confirmed after checking) Yes, President Lopez did deliver a message from Gen. Torrijos and the negotiations were discussed during the meeting. You know Colombia and the U.S. have a treaty, the Urrutia-Thomson Treaty, I believe it is called, under which we assured Colombia free passage of ships and freight through the Canal. So Colombia has a particular interest in the matter. , Q: . What wil1 the Presidents discuss? Why was the Colombian President-invited? A: We have a long tradition of friendly relations with this democratic nation in South America. The President wanted to meet P1·c::ident L-::pez and l?oks forv.rar.j to the opportunity to discuss matters of mutual interest with him. I expec~ the two Presidents will l'lish to review matters relating to hemispheric and w~rld affairs as well as to our bilateral rela tionshj.p in general. Q; When was the last time a Latin American chief of state made ·a State Visit to Washington? A: The last State Visit by a Latin American chief of state was that of President Echeverria of Mexico in June of 1972. President Fora met with Prime Minister Eric Williams of Trinidad and Tobago at the White House in February when the Prime Minister was in the United States on a private visit. As you know, the President also conferred at the border with Mexican President Echeverria in October 197~ but this will be the first State Visit to·washington since the visit of Echeverria in 1972. ,,.-, ' ~ ·: 1-~ . Il, \. bac~round nolE--.._.. Colombia deportment of state. * august · 1975 OFFICIAL NAME: Republic of Colombia GEOGRAPHY by Venezuela, Brazil, Peru, Ecuador, the Pacific Ocean and 1,100 miles on and Panama. It is the fourth largest the Caribbean Sea. Colombia, located in the northwest country on the continent and has a The Andes Mountains enter Colom­ corner of South America, is bordered coastline of more than 900 miles on bia in the southwest and fan out into three distinct ranges which run PROFILE Economy through the country from southwest to north and northeast. Colombia has GNP: $10.59 billion (1974 est.). AN· three main topographical regions: (l) · NUAL GROWTH RATE: 6.2% (1974). PER flat coastal areas broken by the high Geography CAPITA INCOME: $445. PER CAPITA GROWTH RATE: 3.5%. Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta moun· AREA: 440,000 sq. mi. (about as large tain range; (2) central highlands; and as Tex., Okla., and N. Mex. combined). AGRICULTURE: Land 20%. ~Labor (3) sparsely settled eastern ?lains (the CAPITAl.! R~nt& f!'~· ? ll "1i!Jlo~~ 45%. Products-coff""'• h"nRn.l'•, rlet>, Mrn, OntER CITIES: Medellfn (1.1 million); sugarcane, plantains, cotton, tobacco. llanos) drained by the tributaries .>f Cali (920,000), Barranquilla (700,000). INDUSTRY: Labor 14%. Products­ the Orinoco and Amazon Rivers. textiles, processed food, clothing and foot­ The climate varies from tropical wear, beverages, chemicals, metal products, heat on the coast and the eastern People cement. plains to cool, springlike weather with NATURAL RESOURCES: Petroleum, POPULATION: 23.8 million (1974 est). frequent light rains in the highlands. natural gas, coal, iron ore, nickel, gold, ANNUAL GROWTH RATE: 2.8%. DEN­ The two dry seasons in the highlands copper, emeralds. SITY: 53 per sq. mi. ETHNIC GROUPS: are from December to February and TRADE: Exports-$1.499 billion (1974 58% mestizo, 20% Caucasian, 14% Mulatto, est): coffee, agricultural products, apparel, from June to August. Bogota is 8,630 4% Negro, 3% Negro-Indian, 1% Indian. chemicals, metals. Partners-U.S. 30.4%, feet above sea level. Average daily high RELIGIONS: 95% Roman Catholic; about F.R.G. 11.2%, 1apan, Andean Pact coun­ temperature is between 64° and 68°F; 90,000 Protestants and 12,000 Jews. tries. /mports-$1.189 billion (1974 est): its low ranges between 48° and 51°F. LANGUAGE: Spanish. LITERACY: 73%. machinery, electrical equipment, chemical () LIFE EXPECTANCY: 61 yrs. products, metals and metal products, trans­ PEOPLE portation equipment. Partners-U.S. 42.3%, Government F.R.G. 9%, Japan 7.8%, Andean Pact coun· Colombia is the fourth most pop­ tries. TYPE: Republic. INDEPENDENCE: OFFICIAL .EXCHANGE RATE: 30.6 ulous nation in Latin America after July 20.1810. DATE OF CONSTITUTION: pesos=US$1 (May 1975}. ,. Brazil, Mexico, and Argentina. A large 1886 (amended). ECONOMIC AID RECEIVED: Total­ population of dependent young people BRANCHES: Executive-President $1.513 billion (FYl%2-74): international burdens Colombia's educational and (Chief of State and llead of Government). development agencies loans and grants. U.S. health facilities. Moreover, movement Legislative-bicameral Congress. Judicial­ only-$1.382 billion (FY1962·74): see chart from rural to urban areas has been Supreme Court. onp.7. 11. heavy, and the trend continues. Per­ POLITICAL PARTIES: Liberal Party MEMBERSHIP IN INTERNATIONAL sons living in urban areas increased (L), Conservative Party (C), National Pop­ ORGANIZATIONS: U.N. and most of its from 40 percent of the total popula­ ular Alliance (ANAPO). SUFFRAGE: specialized agencies, Organization of tion in 1951 to about 63 percent in (_) Universal over 21. POLITICAL SUBDM· American States (OAS), International Bank SIONS: 22 Departments, 5 Territorial for Reconstruction and Development 1973. The nine eastern departments Districts, 4 Special Districts, 1 Federal (IBRD), Inter-American Development Bank and territories, with 54 percent of >istrict. ODB), Latin American Free Trade Associa­ Colombia's area, have less than 3 FLAG: Top half yellow, bottom half tion (LAFTA), Andean Pact, International percent of the population at a density blue stripe and red stripe of equal widths. Coffee Organization. of two persons per square mile. The ' . 1 r 'I 1 74 70 PACIFIC OCEAN 4-----'---- - International boundary ® National capital p -Railroad ---Road 0r--r-..JS"-O.,-_..;I.lOO:__:.;;I50 Miles 0 50 100 l~O Kllomet~f$ BOUNOAfit'l' R£PRESENT,ATION 1$ HOi NlCUUIARH.Y A.U'rt<iiOAITATJVE J) 'i ! I. ~~ I I 3 country has 23 cities with 100,000 or wanted decentralized government, state more inhabitants. rather than church control over ed­ TRAVEL NOTES The diversity of ethnic origins ucation and other civil matters, and a - results from the intermixture of indig­ broadened suffrage. Those were the Oimate and aothing-Climatic varia­ enous Indians, Spanish colonists, and principal topics of political debate tions depend on altitude. Knits and t Negro slaves brought from Africa. throughout the 19th and early 20th lightweight wools are useful for BogotL Today only about 1 percent of the centuries, although today they are no Customs-Visitors need a passport, a people can be identified as fully Indian longer active issues. The Conservatives smallpox immunization certificate, and, I on the basis of language and customs. succeeded in establishing a highly depending on the length of visit, a I Few foreigners have immigrated to centralized government. The Liberals tourist card, which can be obtained from t Colombia. In 1974 over 12,000 U.S. eventually won universal ~dult suffrage the nearest Colombian Consulate. citizens were living in Colombia. and a large measure of separation of Health-Medical facilities are satis· church and state, although the factory; many doctors have been trained in the U.S. and speak English. Common I HISTORY Catholic Church retains some impor­ tant powers, e.g., the right to give medicines are available. Water is safe in the large cities; food should be well t In 1549 the area now known as r e l i g i o u s instruction in all public Colombia was established as a Spanish schools. prepared. t colony with the capital at Bogota. In Colombia, unlike many Latin Telecommunications-Long-distance 1717 Bogota became the capital of American countries, established early a telephone and telegraph service is avail­ the Viceroyalty of New Granada, solid tradition of civilian government able. Il ' which included what is today Ven­ and regular free elections to decide Transportation-Flights to Bogota's EJ f ezuela, Ecuador, and Panama. Thus between competing parties.