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

282. Memorandum From the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Brzezinski)¹

Washington, May 17, 1977

MEMORANDUM FOR

• The Secretary of State
• The Secretary of the Treasury
• The Secretary of Defense
• The Secretary of Agriculture
• The Secretary of Commerce
• The Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare
• The Director, Office of Management and Budget
• The Director, Agency for International Development
• The Director, United States Information Agency
• The Chairman, Council of Economic Advisors
• The Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff
• The Director of Central Intelligence
• The Chairman, Council of Environmental Quality
• The Director, National Science Foundation
• The Director, Office of Science and Technology Policy

SUBJECT

• Implications of Worldwide Population Growth for United States Security and Overseas Interests

The policy established by NSDM 314 of November 26, 1975² has been reviewed and will remain in effect. That portion of NSDM 314 assigning responsibility to the Under Secretaries Committee is hereby superseded. That responsibility is transferred to the NSC Ad Hoc Group on Population Policy which is hereby established. This Group should be composed of representatives of the addressees and will be chaired by the Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans, International Environmental and Scientific Affairs.³

This Group should report as appropriate to the Policy Review Committee, chaired by the Department of State.

The performance criteria called for by the NSC memorandum of January 3, 1977⁴ should be prepared and forwarded to the White House by the Department of State.

Zbigniew Brzezinski

1. Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Staff Material, Global Issues—Oplinger/Bloomfield Subject File, Box 41, Population Policy: 2–6/77. Attached but not printed is a May 25 covering memorandum from Mink to Tuchman, Grant, Atlas, Rowe, Hjort, Levin, Shultz, Sanders, Levin, Palmeri, Nordhaus, Costello, Sweeney, Bente, Warren Thompson, and Press, transmitting a copy of Brzezinski’s memorandum and requesting that the agencies provide Green with the names of officers designated as representatives to the Ad Hoc Group. (Ibid.)
2. See footnote 3, Document 280.
3. In her May 25 memorandum, Mink indicated that she had delegated the chairmanship of the Group to Green and designated Lindsey Grant as the Department of State’s representative. (Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Staff Material, Global Issues—Oplinger/Bloomfield Subject File, Box 41, Population Policy: 2–6/77)
4. See Foreign Relations, 1969–1976, volume E–14, Part 1, Documents on the United Nations, 1973–1976, Document 127.