Office of the Historian

The Iranian Oil Shortfall, January 1979–January 1981

181. Memorandum From Secretary of Energy Schlesinger to President Carter

Washington, January 4, 1979.

Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Staff Material, International Economics File, Box 44, Rutherford Poats File, Chron, 1/1–21/79. Secret.

182. Action Memorandum From the Assistant Secretary of State for Economic and Business Affairs (Katz) to the Under Secretary of State for Economic Affairs (Cooper)

Washington, January 15, 1979.

Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy Files, P790016–0363. Secret. Drafted by Todd on January 12 and concurred in by Crawford (NEA).

183. Memorandum From Rutherford Poats of the National Security Council Staff to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Brzezinski)

Washington, January 16, 1979.

Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Staff Material, Middle East File, Box 121, Stoddard File, Oil, 11/77–11/79. Secret. Sent for information. Copies were sent to Aaron, Owen, and Quandt. A notation on the first page reads: “ZB has seen.”

184. Memorandum From Secretary of Defense Brown to Secretary of State Vance

Washington, January 27, 1979.

Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Staff Material, Special Projects File, Box 9, Henry Owen, Chron, 1/27–31/1979. Secret. A copy was sent to Brzezinski.

185. Memorandum From Rutherford Poats of the National Security Council Staff to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Brzezinski)

Washington, January 30, 1979.

Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Brzezinski Material, Country File, Box 67, Saudi Arabia, 1–3/79. Secret. Sent for action.

186. Summary of Conclusions of Policy Review Committee Meeting

Washington, February 6, 1979, 4:10–5:30 p.m.

Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Staff Material, North/South File, Box 32, Pastor Country Files, Mexico: PRM 41 (Policy, 2–7/79). Confidential. The meeting was held in the White House Situation Room. The agenda paper for this meeting, which Dodson sent to the participants on February 2, is ibid.

187. Minutes of Policy Review Committee Meeting

Washington, February 8, 1979, 4–5:30 p.m.

Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Staff Material, International Economics File, Box 44, Rutherford Poats File, Chron, 2/79. Secret. The meeting was held in the White House Situation Room. The agenda paper for this meeting, which Poats attached to a February 7 memorandum to Brzezinski and Owen, is ibid., as is the meeting’s Summary of Conclusions.

188. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Saudi Arabia

Washington, February 9, 1979, 0202Z.

Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy Files, D790063–0770. Secret; Nodis. Drafted by Twinam and Bosworth; cleared by Cooper, Katz, Saunders, Solomon, Schlesinger, and Brzezinski; and approved by Vance. Repeated to Dhahran and the White House.

189. Telegram From the Embassy in Belgium to the Department of State

Brussels, February 12, 1979, 1002Z.

Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy Files, D790082–0500. Confidential; Immediate. Repeated to Abu Dhabi, Algiers, Baghdad, Bonn, Caracas, Cairo, Damascus, Dhahran, Jakarta, Jidda, Kuwait, Lagos, Libreville, London, Manama, Ottawa, Paris, Quito, Tehran, Tokyo, Tripoli, Vienna, and Geneva.

190. Memorandum of Conversation

Mexico City, February 15, 1979, 9 a.m.–noon

Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Brzezinski Material, Subject File, Box 37, Memcons: President, 2–3/79. Confidential. The meeting was held at Los Pinos, Mexico’s Presidential residence. All brackets, except those indicating material omitted by the editor, are in the original. Carter was in Mexico City February 14–16 for a State visit.

191. Memorandum From James Cochrane of the National Security Council Staff to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Brzezinski)

Washington, February 23, 1979.

Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Brzezinski Material, Subject File, Box 48, Oil, 8/78–2/79. Confidential. Sent for information.

192. Telegram From the Department of State to Selected Diplomatic Posts

Washington, February 23, 1979, 2001Z.

Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy Files, D790084–0923. Confidential; Immediate. Drafted by Bosworth and Richard E. Hecklinger (EB/ORF); cleared by Bergold, Poats, Eizenstat, and Hormats and in EUR/RPE and the Treasury Department; and approved by Cooper. Sent to Athens, Bern, Bonn, Brussels for the Embassy and USEC, Copenhagen, Dublin, London, Luxembourg, Ankara, Madrid, Oslo, Ottawa, Rome, Stockholm, The Hague, Tokyo, Vienna, Wellington, and Canberra. Repeated Immediate to Paris for the Embassy and USOECD and Priority to Caracas, Kuwait, Jidda, and Abu Dhabi. In a February 21 memorandum, Poats informed Owen and Brzezinski that this telegram was being sent. (Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Staff Material, Special Projects File, Box 9, Henry Owen, Chron: 2/10–28/79)

193. Memorandum From the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Brzezinski) to President Carter

Washington, March 16, 1979.

Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Brzezinski Material, Subject File, Box 48, Oil, 3–6/79. Secret. Sent for information.

194. Memorandum From James Cochrane of the National Security Council Staff to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Brzezinski)

Washington, March 23, 1979.

Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Brzezinski Material, Country File, Box 29, Iran, 4–10/79. Confidential. Sent for information. A stamped notation reads: “ZB has seen.”

195. Memorandum From Secretary of State Vance and Secretary of Energy Schlesinger to President Carter

Washington, March 30, 1979.

Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Staff Material, North/South File, Box 31, Pastor Country Files, Mexico: Gas Negotiations Briefing Book, 1–3/79. Confidential. Sent for action. Brzezinski sent this memorandum to the President under a March 30 covering memorandum, in which he concluded: “Before too long, I believe we will be faced with some hard decisions on how much we will be willing to pay to develop a good relationship and to contribute to the development of Mexico. We will be in a better position to know after these negotiations.” He recommended that Carter approve Vance and Schlesinger’s strategy, and the President indicated that he did by checking the Approve option. (Ibid.)

196. Telegram From the Department of State to Selected Diplomatic Posts

Washington, April 5, 1979, 0024Z.

Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy Files, D790155–0557. Confidential; Immediate. Drafted by Carol K. Stocker (EUR/RPE); cleared by Schlesinger, Owen, and in EA and EB; and approved by Cooper. Sent to Bonn, Brussels, London, Ottawa, Paris, Rome, and Tokyo.

197. Notes of Summit Preparatory Group Meeting

Hakone, Japan, April 5, 1979.

Source: Carter Library, Staff Office Files, Council of Economic Adviser File, Box 86, Tokyo Summit, 1979–1. No classification marking. Drafted by Hormats. The full text of the notes of this meeting is scheduled for publication in Foreign Relations, 1977–1980, volume III, Foreign Economic Policy. The Preparatory Group for the Economic Summit met in Hakone to draft papers for the Summit. See Document 203.

198. Letter From President Carter to French President Giscard d’Estaing

Washington, April 11, 1979.

Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Brzezinski Material, President’s Correspondence with Foreign Leaders File, Box 6, France: President Valery Giscard d’Estaing, 12/78–4/80. No classification marking. Deputy Chief of Mission of the Embassy in Paris Christian Chapman delivered Carter’s letter on April 13 to François de Combret, Deputy Secretary General of the Foreign Ministry, who made “no substantive comments but expressed “genuine appreciation for the tone of the letter.” (Telegram 12093 from Paris; National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy Files, D790174–0310)

199. Briefing Memorandum From the Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Economic and Business Affairs (Hormats) to the Deputy Secretary of State (Christopher)

Washington, undated.

Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy Files, P790149–2314. Confidential. Drafted by Rosen on April 12 and concurred in by Robert M. Beaudry (EUR/RPE) and Twinam. Sent through Cooper.

200. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Saudi Arabia

Washington, April 16, 1979, 2210Z.

Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy Files, D790175–0949. Confidential; Immediate; Exdis. Drafted by Todd; cleared by Rosen, Katz, Twinam, Bergold, Owen, and Helen B. Junz (Treasury Department) and in EB/ORF; and approved by Cooper. Repeated Immediate to Riyadh and Dhahran.

201. Memorandum of Conversation

Washington, April 23, 1979, 5 p.m.

Source: Department of Energy, Executive Secretariat Files, Job #8824, International Affairs: 1/79–6/79. Confidential. Drafted by John E. Treat who initialed at the bottom of the last page.

202. Paper Prepared in the Department of State

Washington, April 23, 1979.

Source: Carter Library, National Security Council, Institutional Files, Box 74, PRC 102, Saudi Arabia, 4/27/79. Confidential.

203. Memorandum From Rutherford Poats of the National Security Council Staff to Henry Owen of the National Security Council Staff

Washington, April 30, 1979.

Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Staff Material, International Economics File, Box 45, Rutherford Poats File, Chron, 4/12–30/79. Confidential. Copies were sent to Schlesinger, O’Leary, Cooper, Solomon, Katz, Brzezinski, Eizenstat, Press, Schirmer, and Cutler.

204. Note From Henry Owen of the National Security Council Staff to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Brzezinski)

Washington, May 15, 1979.

Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Brzezinski Material, Subject File, Box 48, Oil, 3–6/79. Confidential. Sent for information.

205. Memorandum to President Carter

Washington, May 17, 1979.

Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Staff Material, International Economics File, Box 45, Rutherford Poats File, Chron, 4/12–30/79. No classification marking. Sent for action. The memorandum is on White House stationery.

206. Memorandum From Henry Owen of the National Security Council Staff to President Carter

Washington, May 18, 1979.

Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Staff Material, Special Projects File, Box 11, Henry Owen, Chron: 5/18–28/79. Confidential. Sent for action.

207. Memorandum From the President’s Assistant for Domestic Affairs and Policy (Eizenstat) to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Brzezinski)

Washington, May 19, 1979.

Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Brzezinski Material, Subject File, Box 48, Oil, 3–6/79. Administratively Confidential.

209. Memorandum From Secretary of the Treasury Blumenthal and Henry Owen of the National Security Council Staff to President Carter

Washington, May 25, 1979.

Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Staff Material, Special Projects File, Box 11, Henry Owen, Chron, 5/18–28/79. Secret. Sent for information.

210. Memorandum From the Military Assistant to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Odom) to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Brzezinski)

Washington, May 31, 1979.

Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Brzezinski Material, Subject File, Box 48, Oil, 3–6/79. Confidential. Sent for information. Brzezinski wrote “good” at the top of the first page.