Office of the Historian

201. Telegram From the Department of State to All Diplomatic Posts1

Washington, May 14, 1980, 2306Z

127374. For Ambassador from the Acting Secretary. Subject: Dissemination of Country Reports on Human Rights Practices.

1. At a recent conference at the Department,2 several reps of non-governmental organizations reported that officers in some of our mis [Page 623] sions were unfamiliar with contents of our 1979 human rights reports on their countries of assignment.

2. If you have not already done so, please ensure that mission personnel who have appreciable contact with host government civilian officials and military officers are knowledgeable about the contents of the country report. The regional bureaus will be glad to pouch additional copies if requested. Copies might be placed in the post library and be included in the orientation materials for newly arrived officers.

3. In at least one capital, host government officials and others reportedly continue to criticize the country report on the basis of distorted press or other accounts. If this is relevant to your situation, you may wish to consider making copies of your country report (a public document) more widely available.

Christopher
  1. Source: Department of State, Bureau of Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs, 1980 Human Rights Subject Files, Lot 82D180, SHUM Annual Report to Congress 1980. Unclassified. Drafted by Palmer; cleared by Derian, Salmon, Houdek, ARA/CHP, Robert Pfeiffer (EA/RA), Vogelgesang and in substance by Rizik; cleared by Christopher.↩
  2. Presumable reference to a conference on human rights held in the Department of State on April 29. In the NSC Global Issues Cluster’s April 29 evening report, Bloomfield indicated that he had attended a meeting “organized by Patt Derian with leaders of 30 national human rights organizations. Spoke briefly, reaffirming the President’s solid commitment to his human rights policy despite other pressures, etc., etc.” (Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Staff Material, Global Issues—Oplinger/Bloomfield Subject File, Box 37, Evening Reports: 4–6/80)↩