I JUST want to announce that I had a very, very interesting, helpful, and in-depth 3-hour meeting with the Secretary of State. He reviewed the 17 countries on a backbreaking 17-day trip, and I can say on the basis of his analysis that it was basically very encouraging; the meeting with Mr. Brezhnev was very helpful.
The various capitals that the Secretary stopped in in the Middle East I think also brought back some encouraging news. The trips that he made to the subcontinent were very helpful in redirecting our policies in that vitally important area of the world.
So I, for one, am very grateful and most appreciative of the almost superhuman efforts that the Secretary has made on this trip as well as in the past, and we are looking forward to a constructive trip to Japan and South Korea and to the Soviet Union.
So, let me just thank you very, very much, Henry, for a great job for us as Americans and for me personally.
Thank you very, very much.
Note: The President spoke at 7:11 p.m. at the South Portico of the White House following his return from Camp David, Md. where his meeting with Secretary Kissinger was held.
Gerald R. Ford, Remarks Following a Meeting With Secretary of State Kissinger. Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/256776
