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As of May 1998, the Ford Library had not located any formal typed minutes for this Cabinet meeting. The following document describing the discussions at that meeting has been substituted.
Examined by BRENT SCOWCROFT
Exempt from General Declassification Schedule of Executive Order
11652
Exemption Category 5 (b) (1,3)
Automatically Declassified On Imp. to det.
Declassified -
EO 12356, Sec 3,4 With Portions Exempted
E.O. 12356, Sec. 1.3 (a)(5)
MR 91-21, #5, NSC ltr. 9/25/92
By KBH, NARA, Date 12/24/92
MEMORANDUM
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
MEMORANDUM OF CONVERSATION
PARTICIPANTS: President Ford The Cabinet
DATE AND TIME: Friday, June 18, 1976 11:00 a.m.
PLACE: The Cabinet Room
President: Ron just announced we are evacuating Americans from Lebanon. We will leave essential people in the Embassy to keep operations going. We began announcements on VOA and BBC because communications in Beirut are so poor. There are about 1400 people in Lebanon but we have no idea how many will want to leave, because it is voluntary. Henry, why don't you describe the situation in Lebanon?
Kissinger: First, the situation about the Meloy killing. He was on his way to meet with the new President Sarkis, to discuss the situation and possible U.S. evacuation.
[He describes the assassination.]
To the best of our information, the killing was done by a splinter group of the rejectionist front. To our best knowledge, it was done without PLO involvement. All the Arabs have condemned the act, unlike the Sudan killings.
We will evacuate tomorrow. We will not announce the route. We have been given adequate assurances and most of the route is through Syrian-held territory. We have made adequate contingency preparations but it is important not to comment on this.
We don't know how many will leave. Many have no other real home, but there is no security in Beirut. But none of the responsible groups has any real interest in killing Americans, because if there was, it could be done quite easily at any time. But there are, of course,
(END OF PAGE 1)
totally irresponsible elements.
[classified portions removed]
Lebanon is a tragedy. In U.S. equivalents, four million people have been killed.
[classified portions removed]
[The next item was a campaign update]
[The next item was our line on busing.]
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Last Updated: Wednesday, July 15, 1998