Office of the Historian

120. Memorandum From Jessica Tuchman of the National Security Council Staff to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Brzezinski)1

Washington, February 22, 1978

SUBJECT

  • UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Proposal

The President’s proposal to create a high commissioner for human rights will be debated at the current UN Human Rights Commission meeting under Agenda Item 11 which is due to come up late next week. While we have support for the proposal from our western European allies and from a few of the non-aligned, Senegal, etc., overall opinion at the Commission is heavily weighted against us, and it may be better to postpone the debate on this issue to a different UN forum. The Cubans have threatened to introduce a resolution to defer consideration indefinitely, but we do not yet know whether they will act on it. India, which also opposes the proposal, has introduced its own pro [Page 408] posal to create national commissions or ombudsmen. India views the UN role as a catalyst for national (rather than international) action.

All in all, the prospects do not look very good, but we won’t know until late next week what will actually happen.

  1. Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Brzezinksi Material, Brzezinski Office File, Subject Chron File, Box 94, Human Rights: 1978. No classification marking. Sent for information. Tuchman did not initial the memorandum.↩