Office of the Historian

68. Minutes of a Washington Special Actions Group Meeting1

Washington, November 24, 1969, 3:03–5:18 p.m.

SUBJECT

  • Libya and Lebanon

PARTICIPANTS

  • Henry A. Kissinger—Chairman
  • State
  • U. Alexis Johnson
  • David Newsom (Libya only)
  • Rodger Davies
  • Defense
  • G. Warren Nutter
  • CIA
  • Thomas H. Karamessines
  • JCS
  • Vice Admiral Nels C. Johnson
  • NSC Staff
  • Harold H. Saunders
  • Col. Robert M. Behr
  • Keith Guthrie

SUMMARY OF DECISIONS

[Omitted here are the decisions related to Libya.]

[Page 227]

2. Lebanon

a. The following revisions are to be made in the Lebanon contingency paper:2

(1) The analysis of base availability in the Eastern Mediterranean will be given greater prominence. This analysis will be expanded to include not only the extreme possibilities (all bases available vs. no bases available) but also an intermediate contingency such as the availability of a single base at Athens.

(2) A discussion will be included concerning the possible consequences that U.S. military intervention in Lebanon may have in terms of violence against U.S. communities in other Arab countries.

(3) The option of a naval and air blockade is to be deleted.

b. Presidential approval will be sought for the U.S. to offer to equip the Lebanese Army with M–14 rifles.3 If the President approves, details of price, quantity, and funding will be worked out by the State and Defense Departments and CIA. Also, if supply of M–14s to the Lebanese Army is authorized, preparations to furnish arms to the Falange will be discontinued.

c. The WSAG agreed that the U.S. should not encourage an Israeli invasion of Lebanon.

[Omitted here is the discussion of Libya and Lebanon.]

  1. Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, NSC Institutional Files (H-Files), Box H–114, Washington Special Actions Group, WSAG Minutes (Originals) 1969 and 1970. Top Secret; Sensitive. All brackets are in the original except those indicating text omitted by the editors. The meeting was held in the White House Situation Room.↩
  2. The paper, November 17, is ibid., Box H–071, Washington Special Actions Group Meetings, WSAG Mtg. 11/24/69 Libya and Lebanon. A revised paper was not found.↩
  3. Not found.↩