31. Memorandum From the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Brzezinski) to Secretary of State Vance and Secretary of the Treasury Blumenthal1
SUBJECT
- Decision-Making on Human Rights Issues as They Relate to Foreign Assistance
We are bound to be faced with a large number of issues involving the interrelationship between human rights and our foreign assistance program. It would be helpful to set up a small interagency group to examine our bilateral and multilateral aid decisions as they relate to human rights, to provide guidance regarding specific decisions on bilateral and multilateral loans and to ensure proper coordination of a unified Administration position. This group should be chaired by a representative of the Secretary of State and in addition to a representative of the Secretary of the Treasury should include officials of the Department of Defense, the National Security Council Staff, and the Agency for International Development.2
- Source: National Archives, RG 59, Office of the Deputy Secretary: Records of Warren Christopher, 1977–1980, Lot 81D113, Box 13, Human Rights. Confidential. Copies were sent to Harold Brown and Gilligan.↩
- In an April 6 note to Brzezinski, Vance expressed agreement with the establishment of an interagency group. (Ibid.) In an undated handwritten note to Lamb, Christopher indicated that he would be “glad to head up [the interagency group] if Secy thinks it is inevitable.” (Ibid.)↩