Foreign Relations of the United States, 1977–1980, Volume I, Foundations of Foreign Policy

162. Paper Prepared in the Department of State¹

Washington, December 3, 1980

CARTER ADMINISTRATION—ACCOMPLISHMENTS

1. Building America’s military strength.

—In eight years preceding President Carter, defense spending—after inflation—declined by more than 35%. Spending on strategic nuclear forces declined 20%.

—Since January 1977, real defense spending has increased every year. Overall increase of 10%—after inflation. Under Five-Year Defense Plan, real defense spending will have increased more than 27% between FY 1978 and FY 1985.

—Engaged in most comprehensive modernization of military posture in over a decade.

Strategic forces

—Upgrading each leg of strategic nuclear triad:

• —four years ago, no program for a mobile ICBM; today, MX missile is in full-scale engineering development.
• —four years ago, Trident submarine program bogged down in contractor disputes, way behind schedule. Today, shipbuilder claims resolved; first Trident will undergo sea trials this year; join fleet next year. Already begun to equip Poseidon subs with longer range, more accurate Trident I missile; by 1982, 12 Poseidons will be armed with Trident I.
• —four years ago, no long-range, air-launched cruise missiles included in defense program. Today, well on way to equipping B–52’s with over 3000 cruise missiles; first squadron ready in 1982. Will be able to penetrate Soviet air defenses for foreseeable future, as opposed to B–1 bomber the President rejected; would have been obsolete and a waste of money.

U.S.-Allied defense cooperation

—Four years ago, the defense posture of NATO was in serious trouble. Today, NATO is engaged in a broad-scale defense modernization effort.

—At President Carter’s initiative, NATO adopted, in 1978, a comprehensive Long-Term Defense Program to upgrade its forces in ten specific areas, from air defense to command and control.²

—Following U.S. leadership, the Alliance members committed themselves to 3% annual increases in real defense spending through the mid-1980’s.

—In December 1979, NATO agreed to modernize and upgrade its long-range theater nuclear forces by deploying Pershing II and ground-launched cruise missiles in Europe.

—With recent reintegration of Greece into NATO, the southeastern flank of the alliance is strengthened.

—Congressional repeal of Turkish arms embargo, at urging of Administration, resulted in reopening of U.S. installations there; strengthening of NATO’s southeastern flank.

—Recently agreed with Great Britain to assist it in modernizing its nuclear arsenal.

—Steady growth in our strategic relationship with Japan. New Joint Defense Guidelines of 1978.

—Renegotiated base agreement with Philippines which stabilizes military presence in Southeast Asia through 1991.

Non-allied contingencies

—Engaged in significant enhancement of our capability to move forces rapidly to distant trouble spots, particularly Persian Gulf.

—Increased our naval presence in Indian Ocean.

—Prepositioning military equipment in region.

—Negotiating access rights to key local port and airfield facilities in region; concluded agreements with Kenya and Oman.

—Expanding airlift capability through development of new CX cargo aircraft.

—Establishing new Rapid Deployment Force, composed of units from all services.

—Persuading our allies to assume more of defense burden in their own regions as we shift resources to Southwest Asia-Persian Gulf contingencies.

2. Balanced, enforceable arms control to reduce enormous dangers and costs of an all-out nuclear arms race.

—After nearly seven years of negotiation by three Presidents, President Carter concluded SALT II Treaty. Would make us more secure by limiting the threats we face. All U.S. strategic programs could go forward under the treaty. But the Soviets would be restrained in significant ways.

—Under President Carter’s leadership, the United States has led in the search for ways of enjoying the benefits of nuclear energy without increasing the risk of nuclear weapons proliferation. In 1977 President Carter initiated the International Nuclear Fuel Cycle Evaluation, involving 66 nations in an effort to expand international consensus on safer nuclear technologies. US has led the drive to expand membership of the Non-Proliferation Treaty—to 115 countries today. We have worked with International Atomic Energy Agency to tighten international safeguards and standards for nuclear commerce.

3. Exercising leadership to strengthen the international stand against Soviet aggression.

—Firm response to Soviet aggression in Afghanistan serves two purposes: to impose a substantial, continuing cost on the Soviet military presence in Afghanistan; to demonstrate that Soviet aggression anywhere will meet firm resistance. Have acted in three areas:

• First, in our direct relations with the Soviets, we have:

—cancelled grain sales (decision denied Soviets 17 MMT of grain; Soviets able to replace less than half. Together with poor Soviet harvest, has meant less meat on Soviet shelves. Per capita meat consumption down to 1975 levels. Thwarted important objective of Soviet government—increasing meat supplies to Soviet people).

—led Olympic boycott (61 nations chose not to attend. Turned Olympics into largely Eastern European affair. Denied Soviets desired goal of using Olympics as symbol of world acceptance of Soviet foreign actions).

—tightened controls on sale of high technology items to Soviet Union.

—sharply restricted Soviet fishing in US waters (lost their allocation of about 300,000 tons of fish; about 4% of their total worldwide catch).

—curtailed exchange programs.

—limited Aeroflot flights to US.

—suspended plans for opening new US consulate in Kiev and Soviet consulate in New York.

• Second, we have moved to address the new security situation in the region:

—increased and accelerated military preparedness for contingencies in the area (greater naval presence in Indian Ocean; RDF; prepositioning of equipment; new base and port access rights).

—President Carter placed the Soviets on notice that we would regard an attempt to control the Persian Gulf region as an assault on our vital interests, to be met by any means necessary including military force.

—have worked to strengthen security and stability of nations in region (e.g. Western aid to Turkey, Pakistan; Camp David peace process).

• Third, we have worked with other nations to strengthen the international response to this Soviet aggression:

—few nations have been so sharply and broadly condemned (104 nations in the UN; Islamic nations—twice).

—have pressed our friends and allies to support the direct measures we have taken and to sustain their own sanctions against the Soviet Union.

4. Search for peaceful, negotiated solutions to potentially explosive regional disputes.

—President Carter’s leadership was instrumental in achieving the historic Camp David agreements between Egypt and Israel. For the first time since its creation, Israel today is at peace with its most powerful Arab neighbor, Egypt. For the first time, a negotiating process has been created to address both Israel’s security and Palestinian rights.

—The President’s unwavering support for negotiating in Rhodesia helped bring an end to a bloody civil war, a majority rule government and a decent hope for peace and long-term stability.

—Together with the other Western members of the UN Security Council, we have made substantial progress toward a peaceful transition to independence and majority rule in Namibia.

—After fourteen years of negotiation, we concluded a new Panama Canal Treaty which provides a more secure future for the Canal and removes a long-time irritant in our relations with nations throughout the Hemisphere.

5. Broader cooperation with our allies than ever before.

—Largely as a result of US leadership, NATO has done more in the past four years to strengthen its collective defense than in any comparable period in its history.

• —Long-Term Defense Program.
• —commitment to annual 3% real increases in defense spending.
• —theater nuclear weapons modernization.

—NATO allies stood firm against considerable Soviet pressure to reverse TNF modernization decision.

—unprecedented degree of genuine consultation on defense and arms control matters (during SALT negotiations, for example).

—The scope of our cooperation has moved beyond collective defense:

• —through progressively more constructive economic summits, industrial democracies have coordinated domestic as well as international energy and economic policies to a greater extent than in the past (e.g. national energy import goals).
• —Venice Summit demonstrated essential unity of allies in insisting on total, not cosmetic, Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan.
• —while we sought broader measures, the fact is that our allies have joined us in imposing significant economic sanctions on Iran for holding US hostages.
• —industrial democracies have joined together in a massive aid program for Turkey.
• —over past few years, Western democracies have shown an unprecedented degree of cooperation toward resolving dangerous regional disputes (e.g. Rhodesia, Namibia, Zaire-Angola).

6. Building stronger relationships with countries of growing importance on the world scene.

—Normalization of relations with China has enabled us to deal directly and forthrightly with a quarter of the world’s population; buttressed our strategic position.

—Have given new attention to our relations with developing nations of particular importance—Mexico, Saudi Arabia and Nigeria, for example.

—Have strengthened our cooperation with regional organizations of growing importance—the OAS, the Andean Pact and the Caribbean Group in Latin America; the OAU in Africa; and ASEAN in Southeast Asia.

—Our commitment to a fair result in Panama, to majority rule in southern Africa, and to the advancement of human rights and human freedom around the world has demonstrated that US is prepared to deal with developing nations on basis of shared interests and mutual respect. Significantly improved relationships in Africa, Latin America and Asia. In recent UN votes on Afghanistan and Iran, for example, most of developing nations stood with the US. Would have been highly unlikely a decade ago.

—Made important progress on economic issues of shared importance with developing world:

• —new trade arrangements with developing nations under the new multilateral trade negotiations framework;
• —access of developing nations to International Monetary Fund resources sharply increased—including new $10 billion supplementary financing facility.
• —on energy, have supported commitment of World Bank to join with private and governmental sources to fund $33 billion to LDC oil and gas projects by 1985.
• —on commodities, have reached agreement on common fund to support agreements which stabilize international commodity supplies and prices. Individual commodity agreements under discussion or in place for sugar, coffee, tin, cocoa and rubber.
• —have strengthened the coordination of our foreign assistance programs with creation of International Development Cooperation Agency.

7. Building a sounder international economy.

—US provided leadership necessary to revitalize the multilateral trade negotiations which resulted in new long-term trade agreement. Agreement will open greater access to international markets; provide fairer trading rules for the next decade.

—Negotiated a number of orderly marketing agreements to regularize the flow of certain imports which threatened to severely disrupt American producers; instituted—and now reviewing adequacy of—“trigger price” mechanism on steel to prevent other nations from engaging in unfair trading practices.

—Reached agreement with Japan for substantially improving access of goods and services to Japanese markets; substantially improved our balance of trade with Japan.

—Through successive economic summits and in the International Energy Agency, have played leadership role in setting reduced oil import targets by major consuming nations. Groundwork has been laid for major expansion of US coal exports that will aid US economy and help our allies cut oil imports. President’s far-reaching domestic energy program already resulting in lower oil imports—imports down 10% in 1979; down even more so far in 1980. We are working to augment and diversify the world’s energy sources by supporting increased World Bank lending for LDC energy projects and by a number of innovative programs for cooperating in energy planning, research and development in Third World countries.

8. Asserting our national commitment to human rights.

—Our pursuit of human rights progress around the world has given renewed meaning to America’s purpose in the world—to defend our freedom and to help advance freedom of others. And it serves our long-term interest in building a more stable world.

—Have infused our national commitment to individual freedom and dignity into day-to-day conduct of foreign policy. Human rights considerations now taken into account fully in allocation American assistance; President has signed number of important international human rights covenants.

—While we cannot claim full credit, we believe our practical efforts have contributed to significant human rights improvements in many countries. Thousands of political prisoners have been released in over a dozen countries; in a number of cases, torture of prisoners has been reduced; trials opened to the public.

—Spotlight of international attention has been focused on those governments which consistently violate human rights, as our efforts are joined by other nations, individuals, regional and international organizations.

—Have taken a leadership role in resettlement of refugees from Indochina and the Caribbean; and in international relief effort for people of Kampuchea.

1. Source: National Archives, RG 59, Policy and Planning Staff—Office of the Director, Records of Anthony Lake, 1977–1981: Lot 82D298, Box 7, TL, 12/1–15/80. No classification marking. No drafting information appears on the paper. There is no indication that the President saw the paper. Muskie transmitted the paper to the President under a December 11 cover memorandum, indicating that the summation “is truly impressive.” (Ibid.) In a November 17 memorandum for heads of departments and agencies, Watson had requested the preparation of summaries of major accomplishments for submission to the President by December 12. (Ibid.)
2. See footnote 10, Document 90.