Foreign Relations of the United States, 1977–1980, Volume II, Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs

109. Memorandum From the Deputy Secretary of State (Christopher) to the Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs (Moose), the Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs (Todman), the Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian Affairs (Holbrooke), the Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs (Vest), and the Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern and South Asian Affairs (Sober)¹

Washington, January 26, 1978

SUBJECT

• Advance Notification of Human Rights Reports

As I mentioned this morning, each regional bureau will be responsible for providing to the governments concerned advance copies of the human rights reports to be submitted to the Congress. At your discretion, this can be done in Washington, in capitals, or both. When the advance copies are handed over, I suggest that the presentation be made using the following points as a framework. The points should be adapted to the circumstances of particular countries:

—The effect of new legislation which became law last year is to require the Secretary of State to submit a “full and complete” report on the status of internationally-recognized human rights in each country which receives either development assistance or security assistance from the United States. (It may be useful to provide the text of the Congressional provision.)²

—We brought this legal requirement to the attention of your government last November.

—[For countries receiving development assistance] At that time, we provided you [your authorities] with the text of the new legislation.

—109 human rights reports will be submitted to the Congress on or about January 31. We are providing you with an advance copy of the report prepared on [country].

—Congress has expressly requested that information published by international non-governmental organizations be included in the report.

—The Department of State will not distribute these reports to the press or public or otherwise draw attention to them. However, they will be made a matter of public record by the Congress and we expect they will receive attention in the press.

1. Source: National Archives, RG 59, Office of the Deputy Secretary: Records of Warren Christopher, 1977–1980, Lot 81D113, Box 15, Human Rights—Country Evaluation Papers. No classification marking. All brackets are in the original. Copies were sent to Derian and Lake. Lamb sent a copy of the memorandum to Shurtleff, Lister, Martins, Fuerth, and Palmer, copying Schneider, Walker, and Oxman, under a January 27 covering memorandum with the following comment: “In connection with the attached memorandum from the Deputy Secretary to the regional bureaus, please be sure that any general instruction to the field incorporating the suggested presentation framework is discussed with HA and S/P prior to transmission.” (Ibid.) Another copy of Christopher’s memorandum is in the National Archives, RG 59, Office of the Deputy Secretary: Records of Warren Christopher, 1977–1980, Lot 81D133, Box 8, Memoranda from WC to Bureaus—1978.
2. See Document 91.