47. Memorandum From the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Scowcroft) to President Ford, Washington, August 30, 1976.1 2
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
MEETING WITH WILLIAM W. SCRANTON
U.S. REPRESENTATIVE TO THE UNITED
NATIONS
Monday, August 30, 1976
12:00 Noon (30 minutes)
The Oval
Office
From: Brent Scowcroft [BS initialed]
I. PURPOSE
Governor Scranton wishes to discuss key issues facing us at the United Nations.
II. BACKGROUND, PARTICIPANTS & PRESS ARRANGEMENTS
A. Background: Governor Scranton will raise several problem areas expected to come before the UNGA this fall: Puerto Rico, Korea, Namibia, and UN Membership for Vietnam and Angola.
Puerto Rico: Cuba will once again press for a resolution promoting Puerto Rican independence when the Committee of 24 meets at the beginning of September. Our tactic is to persuade members of the Committee to vote to adjourn without adopting a resolution on Puerto Rico; this was successful last year, when the vote was 11-9 for adjournment. It appears we can count on much the same support again, but the outcome is by no means certain. Secretary Kissinger has sent personal letters to key countries and our Ambassadors have made demarches to others explaining our position in detail.
Korea: Both North and South Korea have placed resolutions on the calendar for the upcoming General Assembly. The hostile resolution, calling for an end to “foreign military involvement and aggression” and the dissolution of the U.N. Command, has 31 co-sponsors; the friendly resolution, urging continued North-South dialogue, has 19.
We have formed a Core Group of South Korean supporters to develop strategy and to gain additional co-sponsors for the friendly resolution. Meanwhile, North Korea has been conducting an extensive diplomatic campaign, most recently at the Colombo Non-Aligned Summit, to win support for its position. The North Korean action in the DMZ--both the murder of the American officers and the comparatively soft line later adopted by the North Koreans--probably reflect a North Korean strategy to characterize the US presence as aggressive and destabilizing.
Our tactical objective at this session is to urge the General (steering) Committee to defer the entire Korean question.
Namibia: The Security Council will hold a one-day session on Namibia August 31, the deadline set by the Security Council last January for free elections leading to independence for the Territory. There will be a more extensive discussion in mid-September.
Our strategy during the interim will be to allow the significant results of our recent diplomatic initiatives to become known. If the minimum requirements for Namibia are satisfied (U.N. supervision of the electoral process and participation of all political groups and parties, including SWAPO), the debate should be manageable. If not, the Africans will urge the Security Council to impose mandatory sanctions against South Africa under Section VII of the Charter, and may turn to a “Uniting for Peace” resolution in the General Assembly if we block a Security Council resolution.
U.N. Membership for Vietnam and Angola: Vietnam has already applied for membership, and the application will probably be taken up by the Security Council this week. As I indicated earlier, Ambassador Scranton will probably recommend a Presidential statement linking a veto to the MIA accounting. All other Security Council members are expected to vote in favor of membership for Vietnam.
Angola has not yet re-applied for membership but we expect them to do so, under Tanzanian sponsorship. The African governments will press us very hard not to repeat our veto of Angolan membership, and could cause trouble for us on Korea and Middle East issues if we disregard their entreaties. Ambassador Scranton can be expected to argue forcefully against a veto of both Vietnam and Angola because of the impact on these other issues.
B. Participants: Ambassador Scranton, Secretary Kissinger and Brent Scowcroft.
C. Press Plan: White House photographer only.
III. TALKING POINTS
1. Puerto Rico:
--What is your estimate of the voting?
2. Korea:
--How do you think the events in the DMZ have affected the North Korean case?
--Are there any further initiatives open to us to support the South Korea cause.
3. Namibia:
-- Obviously, the results of the Rogers/Schaufele trip will be crucial in determining what our position on Namibia will be in the Council.
4. Angola-Vietnam
--What is your view on how the Vietnam and Angola membership applications should be handled?